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New Horizons: Long-Range Kuiper Belt Targets Observed by the Hubble Space TelescopeWe report on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of three Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), discovered in our dedicated ground-based search campaign, that are candidates for long-range observations from the New Horizons spacecraft: 2011 epochY31, 2011 HZ102, and 2013 LU35. Astrometry with HST enables both current and future critical accuracy improvements for orbit precision, required for possible New Horizons observations, beyond what can be obtained from the ground. Photometric colors of all three objects are red, typical of the Cold Classical dynamical population within which they reside; they are also the faintest KBOs to have had their colors measured. None are observed to be binary with HST above separations of approx. 0.02 arcsec (approx. 700 km at 44 AU) and delta m less than or equal to 0.5.
Document ID
20150011460
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.04.014
Authors
Benecchi, S. D. (Planetary Science Inst. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Noll, K. S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Weaver, H. A. (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Spencer, J. R. (Southwest Research Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Stern, S. A. (Southwest Research Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Buie, M. W. (Southwest Research Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Parker, A. H. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
June 23, 2015
Publication Date
May 2, 2014
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Publisher: Elsevier
Volume: 246
Issue: 15
Subject Category
Astronomy
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN22030
Report Number: GSFC-E-DAA-TN22030
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-26555
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Keywords
Photometry
Kuiper Belt
Hubble Space Telescope observations

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