The Color and Binarity of (486958) 2014 MU69 and Other Long-Range New Horizons Kuiper Belt Targets. (arXiv:1812.04752v1 [astro-ph.EP])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Benecchi_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Susan Benecchi</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Borncamp_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David Borncamp</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Parker_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Alex Parker</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Buie_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Marc Buie</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Noll_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Keith Noll</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Binzel_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Richard Binzel</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Stern_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">S. Alan Stern</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Verbiscer_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Anne Verbiscer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kavelaars_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">J. J. Kavelaars</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Zangari_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Amanda Zangari</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Spencer_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">John Spencer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Weaver_H/0/1/0/all/0/1">Harold Weaver</a>
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) measured the colors of eight Kuiper Belt
Objects (KBOs) that will be observed by the New Horizons spacecraft including
its 2019 close fly-by target the Cold Classical KBO (486958) 2014 MU69. We find
that the photometric colors of all eight objects are red, typical of the Cold
Classical dynamical population within which most reside. Because 2014 MU69 has
a similar color to that of other KBOs in the Cold Classical region of the
Kuiper Belt, it may be possible to use the upcoming high-resolution New
Horizons observations of 2014 MU69 to draw conclusions about the greater Cold
Classical population. Additionally, HST found none of these KBOs to be binary
within separations of ~0.06 arcsec (~2000 km at 44 AU range) and {Delta}m less
than or equal to 0.5. This conclusion is consistent with the lower fraction of
binaries found at relatively wide separations. A few objects appear to have
significant photometric variability, but our observations are not of sufficient
signal-to-noise or time duration for further interpretation.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) measured the colors of eight Kuiper Belt
Objects (KBOs) that will be observed by the New Horizons spacecraft including
its 2019 close fly-by target the Cold Classical KBO (486958) 2014 MU69. We find
that the photometric colors of all eight objects are red, typical of the Cold
Classical dynamical population within which most reside. Because 2014 MU69 has
a similar color to that of other KBOs in the Cold Classical region of the
Kuiper Belt, it may be possible to use the upcoming high-resolution New
Horizons observations of 2014 MU69 to draw conclusions about the greater Cold
Classical population. Additionally, HST found none of these KBOs to be binary
within separations of ~0.06 arcsec (~2000 km at 44 AU range) and {Delta}m less
than or equal to 0.5. This conclusion is consistent with the lower fraction of
binaries found at relatively wide separations. A few objects appear to have
significant photometric variability, but our observations are not of sufficient
signal-to-noise or time duration for further interpretation.
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