Outer Solar System Origins Survey

Last updated
Minor planets discovered: 39  [1]
see § List of numbered minor planets discovered by OSSOS

The Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS) is an astronomical survey and observing program aimed at discovering and tracking trans-Neptunian objects located in the outermost regions of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune. OSSOS is designed in way that observational biases can be characterized, allowing the numbers and orbits of detected objects to be compared using a survey simulator to the populations predicted in dynamical simulations of the emplacement of trans-Neptunian objects. [2] Conducted at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories ( 568 ) in Hawaii, the survey has discovered 39 numbered objects as of 2018, [1] with potentially hundreds more to follow. The survey's first numbered discovery was the object (496315) 2013 GP136 in 2013.

Contents

Description

OSSOS observed eight blocks of the sky over a period of five years from 2013–2017 using the MegaPrime camera of the 3.6 m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Images of these blocks were taken near opposition (when the block is near opposite the sun), two months before, and two months after. [3] This extended period of observation was designed to remove ephemeris bias which can cause the loss of some objects due to inaccurate predictions of their future positions. Pointing directions, detection efficiencies, and tracking frequencies were determined to allow other observational biases to be identified. [4]

These identified biases are used by the survey simulator developed by the OSSOS group. This survey simulator can estimate the populations of detected objects, for example those in resonances, and set upper limits for the classes of objects not detected. The survey simulator can also predict the number of object that would be detected by OSSOS given the output of dynamical models of the early Solar System, allowing the models to be statistically tested. [5]

Semimajor axis and eccentricity of objects detected by OSSOS. Six other objects (not shown) with semimajor axes between 160 AU and 800 AU were also detected. Semimajor axis and eccentricity of objects detected by OSSOS.png
Semimajor axis and eccentricity of objects detected by OSSOS. Six other objects (not shown) with semimajor axes between 160 AU and 800 AU were also detected.

OSSOS has detected 838 objects, bring the total objects detected by well characterized surveys to more than 1100. [6] [7] Among these objects are a possible dwarf planet in a 9:2 resonance with Neptune, [8] and two objects in a 9:1 resonance with Neptune. [9] Other resonant objects have been detected and their populations estimated. [10] A previously identified 'kernel' in the cold classical Kuiper belt has been confirmed and other cold classical objects beyond the 2:1 resonance with Neptune have been identified. [4] OSSOS detected 3 potential members of the Haumea family, but none of these were faint, indicating that the family has a shallow size distribution. [11] Analysis of the size distribution of the scattering population revealed a break in its slope. [3] [12] The inclination distribution of these scattering objects had more with inclinations greater than 45 degrees than predicted using simulations that included only the known planets and the influence of the galaxy, but also fewer with inclinations between 15 and 30 degrees than predicted when Planet Nine was added to the simulations. [13] Extreme trans-Neptunian objects (eTNOs) have been found including one with a semi-major axis of 730  AU, 2013 SY99, [14] and seven other objects with semi-major axes greater than 150 AU and perihelia greater than 30 AU. After accounting for OSSOS's known biases the orbital elements of these objects are consist with a uniformly distributed population. [15] Four scattered disk objects with high perihelia have been detected with semi-major axes smaller than nearby resonances, consistent with their escape during a slow grainy migration of Neptune. [16] Closer to the Sun, 20 centaurs were found, none of which were active. [17] The number of centaurs detected and their inclinantion distribution were consistent with a model of the early Solar System that included a slow, long range migration of Neptune. [18] 65 of the smaller objects discovered by OSSOS were later observed using the Subaru telescope to determine the variability of their brightness. [19]

Semimajor axis and inclination of objects detected by OSSOS. Seven other objects (not shown) with semimajor axes between 160 AU and 800 AU or inclinations above 50 degrees were also detected. Semimajor axis and inclination of objects detected by OSSOS.png
Semimajor axis and inclination of objects detected by OSSOS. Seven other objects (not shown) with semimajor axes between 160 AU and 800 AU or inclinations above 50 degrees were also detected.

Operating in conjunction with OSSOS is the Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (Col-OSSOS). Col-OSSOS observes OSSOS objects with red magnitudes brighter than 23.5 simultaneously using the Gemini-North and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes. [20] The simultaneous observation allows the colors of these object to be measured more accurately by removing variations in their brightness due to the rotation of the objects and changes in atmospheric conditions. These observations have revealed three surface types among the TNOs, [21] and have identified numerous binaries including loosely bound neutrally colored 'blue binaries' that could have been pushed out into their current orbits during Neptune's migration. [22] Among the dynamically excited populations the ratio of neutral to red objects has been estimated to be between 4:1 and 11:1. [23] The inclination distributions were found to vary with color, with the red objects having lower inclinations. [24] The Col-OSSOS team has also measured the color and light curve of ʻOumuamua. [25]

Team

Core members

The core members of the Outer Solar System Origin Survey are: [26]

Collaborators

Collaborators of the Outer Solar System Origin Survey are: [26]

  • Andrew C. Becker
  • Susan D. Benecchi (née Kern)
  • Federica Bianco
  • Steven Bickerton
  • Ramon Brasser
  • Audrey C. Delsanti
  • Wesley Fraser
  • Mikael Granvik
  • Will Grundy
  • Aurelie Guilbert-Lepoutre
  • Amanda Sickafoose Gulbis
  • Daniel Hestroffer
  • Wing Ip
  • Marian Jakubik
  • Lynne Jones
  • Nathan Kaib
  • Pavlo Korsun
  • Simon Krughoff
  • Irina Kulyk
  • Pedro Lacerda
  • Sam Lawler
  • Matthew Lehner
  • Edward Lin
  • Tim Lister
  • Patryk Lykawka
  • Ruth Murray-Clay
  • Keith Noll (see cite)
  • Alex Parker
  • Nuno Peixinho
  • Rosemary Pike
  • Philippe Rousselot
  • Megan Schwamb
  • Cory Shankman
  • Bruno Sicardy
  • Scott Tremaine
  • Pierre Vernazza (see cite)
  • Shiang-Yu Wang

List of numbered minor planets discovered by OSSOS

See also

Related Research Articles

Kuiper belt Area of the Solar System beyond the planets, comprising small bodies

The Kuiper belt is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger – 20 times as wide and 20–200 times as massive. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly of small bodies or remnants from when the Solar System formed. While many asteroids are composed primarily of rock and metal, most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles, such as methane, ammonia and water. The Kuiper belt is home to three objects identified as dwarf planets by the IAU: Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, may have originated in the region.

Caliban (moon) moon of Uranus

Caliban is the second-largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered on 6 September 1997 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope together with Sycorax and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 1.

Sycorax (moon) moon of Uranus

Sycorax is the largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. Sycorax was discovered on 6 September 1997 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope, together with Caliban, and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 2.

Scattered disc Collection of bodies in the extreme Solar System

The scattered disc (or scattered disk) is a distant circumstellar disc in the Solar System that is sparsely populated by icy small solar system bodies, which are a subset of the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects. The scattered-disc objects (SDOs) have orbital eccentricities ranging as high as 0.8, inclinations as high as 40°, and perihelia greater than 30 astronomical units (4.5×109 km; 2.8×109 mi). These extreme orbits are thought to be the result of gravitational "scattering" by the gas giants, and the objects continue to be subject to perturbation by the planet Neptune.

Detached object Dynamical class of minor planets

Detached objects are a dynamical class of minor planets in the outer reaches of the Solar System and belong to the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). These objects have orbits whose points of closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) are sufficiently distant from the gravitational influence of Neptune that they are only moderately affected by Neptune and the other known planets: This makes them appear to be "detached" from the rest of the Solar System, except for their attraction to the Sun.

Asteroid 2011 QF99 is a minor planet from the outer Solar System and the first known Uranus trojan to be discovered. It measures approximately 60 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo of 0.05. It was first observed 29 August 2011 during a deep survey of trans-Neptunian objects conducted with the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, but its identification as Uranian trojan was not announced until 2013.

Sednoid

A sednoid is a trans-Neptunian object with a perihelion well beyond the Kuiper cliff at 47.8 AU. Only three objects are known from this population: 90377 Sedna, 2012 VP113, and 541132 Leleākūhonua (2015 TG387), but it is suspected that there are many more. All three have perihelia greater than 64 AU. These objects lie outside an apparently nearly empty gap in the Solar System and have no significant interaction with the planets. They are usually grouped with the detached objects. Some astronomers, such as Scott Sheppard, consider the sednoids to be inner Oort cloud objects (OCOs), though the inner Oort cloud, or Hills cloud, was originally predicted to lie beyond 2,000 AU, beyond the aphelia of the three known sednoids.

Extreme trans-Neptunian object

An extreme trans-Neptunian object (ETNO) is a trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun well beyond Neptune (30 AU) in the outermost region of the Solar System. An ETNO has a large semi-major axis of at least 150–250 AU. Its orbit is much less affected by the known giant planets than all other known trans-Neptunian objects. They may, however, be influenced by gravitational interactions with a hypothetical Planet Nine, shepherding these objects into similar types of orbits. The known ETNOs exhibit a highly statistically significant asymmetry between the distributions of object pairs with small ascending and descending nodal distances that might be indicative of a response to external perturbations.

Planet Nine Hypothetical large planet in the far outer Solar System

Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the unusual clustering of orbits for a group of extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs), bodies beyond Neptune that orbit the Sun at distances averaging more than 250 times that of the Earth. These ETNOs tend to make their closest approaches to the Sun in one sector, and their orbits are similarly tilted. These alignments suggest that an undiscovered planet may be shepherding the orbits of the most distant known Solar System objects. Nonetheless, some astronomers question the idea that the hypothetical planet exists and instead assert that the clustering of the ETNOs orbits is due to observing biases, resulting from the difficulty of discovering and tracking these objects during much of the year.

2013 GP136 is a trans-Neptunian object from the scattered disc in the outermost reaches of the Solar System, approximately 212 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 February 2013, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at the Mauna Kea Observatories on the island of Hawaii, United States.

<span class="nowrap">2013 SY<sub>99</sub></span>

2013 SY99, also known by its OSSOS survey designation uo3L91, is a trans-Neptunian object discovered on September 29, 2013 by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory. This object orbits the Sun between 50 and 1,300 AU (7.5 and 190 billion km), and has a barycentric orbital period of nearly 20,000 years. It has the second largest semi-major axis yet detected for an orbit with a perihelion beyond the zone of strong influence of Neptune (q > 38), second only to 541132 Leleākūhonua, but exceeding the semi-major axes of Sedna, 2012 VP113 and 2010 GB174. 2013 SY99 has one of highest perihelion of any known extreme trans-Neptunian object, behind sednoids including Sedna (76 AU), 2012 VP113 (80 AU), and Leleākūhonua (65 AU).

<span class="nowrap">(523794) 2015 RR<sub>245</sub></span>

(523794) 2015 RR245, provisional designation 2015 RR245, is a large trans-Neptunian object of the Kuiper belt in the outermost regions of the Solar System. It was discovered on 9 September 2015, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at Mauna Kea Observatories on the Big island of Hawaii, in the United States. The object is in a rare 2:9 resonance with Neptune and measures approximately 600 kilometers in diameter. 2015 RR245 may have a satellite according to a study announced by Noyelles et al. in a European Planetary Science Congress meeting in 2019.

<span class="nowrap">2015 GT<sub>50</sub></span>

2015 GT50, previously known as o5p060, is a trans-Neptunian object orbiting in the Kuiper belt of the outermost Solar System. It was first observed by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea on 13 April 2015.

<span class="nowrap">2015 KG<sub>163</sub></span>

2015 KG163, also known as o5m52, is a trans-Neptunian object from the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 102 kilometers (63 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 24 May 2015, by astronomers of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, United States. With an observation arc of 2 years, it is known that it will come to perihelion around August 2022 at a velocity of 6.5 km/s with respect to the Sun.

2015 RY245, also known as o5s13, is a trans-Neptunian object from the scattered disc of the outermost reaches of the Solar System, approximately 78 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 September 2015, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, United States.

2015 KH163, is a trans-Neptunian- and scattered disc object from the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 117 kilometers in diameter. It was first observed by astronomers during the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at the Mauna Kea Observatories on 24 May 2015.

2015 KE172, internal designation o5m72, is a distant resonant trans-Neptunian object on an eccentric orbit in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 21 May 2015 by astronomers with the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at the Mauna Kea Observatories on the island of Hawaii, United States. It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in October 2017 at a distance of 44.1 AU (6.60 billion km). Its existence was first released in February 2018, and the observations and orbit were announced on 27 April 2018. It belongs to the most distant resonant objects known to exist.

Michele Bannister is a New Zealand planetary astronomer and science communicator at the University of Canterbury, who has participated in surveying the outermost Solar System for trans-Neptunian objects.

(505448) 2013 SA100, provisional designation 2013 SA100 and also known as o3l79, is a trans-Neptunian object from the classical Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 5 August 2013, by astronomer with the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, in the United States. The classical Kuiper belt object belongs to the hot population and is a weak dwarf planet candidate, approximately 260 kilometers (160 miles) in diameter.

The hypothetical Planet Nine would modify the orbits of extreme trans-Neptunian objects via a combination of effects. On very long timescales exchanges of angular momentum with Planet Nine cause the perihelia of anti-aligned objects to rise until their precession reverses direction, maintaining their anti-alignment, and later fall, returning them to their original orbits. On shorter timescales mean-motion resonances with Planet Nine provides phase protection, which stabilizes their orbits by slightly altering the objects' semi-major axes, keeping their orbits synchronized with Planet Nine's and preventing close approaches. The inclination of Planet Nine's orbit weakens this protection, resulting in a chaotic variation of semi-major axes as objects hop between resonances. The orbital poles of the objects circle that of the Solar System's Laplace plane, which at large semi-major axes is warped toward the plane of Planet Nine's orbit, causing their poles to be clustered toward one side.

References

  1. 1 2 "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to the Outer Solar System Origins Survey". www.ossos-survey.org. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 Lawler, S. M.; et al. (2018). "OSSOS. VIII. The Transition Between Two Size Distribution Slopes in the Scattering Disk". Astrophysical Journal. 155 (5): 197. arXiv: 1803.07521 . Bibcode:2018AJ....155..197L. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aab8ff.
  4. 1 2 Bannister, Michele T.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Petit, Jean-Marc; Gladman, Brett J.; Gwyn, Stephen D. J.; Chen, Ying-Tung; et al. (September 2016). "The Outer Solar System Origins Survey. I. Design and First-quarter Discoveries". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 25. arXiv: 1511.02895 . Bibcode:2016AJ....152...70B. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/70.
  5. ↑ Lawler, S. M.; et al. (2018). "OSSOS: X. How to use a Survey Simulator: Statistical Testing of Dynamical Models Against the Real Kuiper Belt". arXiv: 1802.00460 .
  6. ↑ Bannister, Michelle; et al. (2018). "OSSOS. VII. 800+ Trans-Neptunian Objects—The Complete Data Release". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 236 (1): 18. arXiv: 1805.11740 . Bibcode:2018ApJS..236...18B. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aab77a.
  7. ↑ Kavelaars, J. J.; Bannister, Michele T.; Gladman, Brett; Petit, Jean-Marc; Gwyn, Stephen; Alexandersen, Mike; et al. (October 2017). "The Outer Solar System Origin Survey full data release orbit catalog and characterization". American Astronomical Society: 405.02. Bibcode:2017DPS....4940502K.
  8. ↑ Bannister, Michele T.; Alexandersen, Mike; Benecchi, Susan D.; Chen, Ying-Tung; Delsanti, Audrey; Fraser, Wesley C.; et al. (December 2016). "OSSOS. IV. Discovery of a Dwarf Planet Candidate in the 9:2 Resonance with Neptune". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (6): 8. arXiv: 1607.06970 . Bibcode:2016AJ....152..212B. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/6/212.
  9. ↑ Volk, Kathryn; et al. (2018). "OSSOS IX: two objects in Neptune's 9:1 resonance -- implications for resonance sticking in the scattering population". The Astronomical Journal. 155 (6): 260. arXiv: 1802.05805 . doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aac268.
  10. ↑ Volk, Kathryn; Murray-Clay, Ruth; Gladman, Brett; Lawler, Samantha; Bannister, Michele T.; Kavelaars, J. J.; et al. (July 2016). "OSSOS III---Resonant Trans-Neptunian Populations: Constraints from the first quarter of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (1): 25. arXiv: 1604.08177 . Bibcode:2016AJ....152...23V. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/1/23.
  11. ↑ Pike, Rosemary; et al. (2019). "A dearth of small members in the Haumea family revealed by OSSOS". Nature Astronomy. arXiv: 1908.10286 . doi:10.1038/s41550-019-0867-z.
  12. ↑ Shankman, C.; Kavelaars, JJ.; Gladman, B. J.; Alexandersen, M.; Kaib, N.; Petit, J.-M.; et al. (February 2016). "OSSOS. II. A Sharp Transition in the Absolute Magnitude Distribution of the Kuiper Belt's Scattering Population". The Astronomical Journal. 151 (2): 11. arXiv: 1511.02896 . Bibcode:2016AJ....151...31S. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/31.
  13. ↑ Kaib, Nathan A.; et al. (2019). "OSSOS XV: Probing the Distant Solar System with Observed Scattering TNOs". The Astronomical Journal. 158 (1): 43. arXiv: 1905.09286 . doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab2383. PMC   6677154 . PMID   31379385.
  14. ↑ Bannister, Michele T.; Shankman, Cory; Volk, Kathryn; Chen, Ying-Tung; Kaib, Nathan; Gladman, Brett J.; et al. (June 2017). "OSSOS. V. Diffusion in the Orbit of a High-perihelion Distant Solar System Object". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (6): 11. arXiv: 1704.01952 . Bibcode:2017AJ....153..262B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6db5.
  15. ↑ Shankman, Cory; Kavelaars, J. J.; Bannister, Michele T.; Gladman, Brett J.; Lawler, Samantha M.; Chen, Ying-Tung; et al. (August 2017). "OSSOS. VI. Striking Biases in the Detection of Large Semimajor Axis Trans-Neptunian Objects". The Astronomical Journal. 154 (2): 8. arXiv: 1706.05348 . Bibcode:2017AJ....154...50S. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa7aed.
  16. ↑ Lawler, S. M.; et al. (2018). "OSSOS: XIII. Fossilized Resonant Dropouts Imply Neptune's Migration was Grainy and Slow". arXiv: 1808.02618 .
  17. ↑ Cabral, N.; et al. (2019). "OSSOS: XI. No active Centaurs in the Outer Solar System Origins Survey". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 621: A102. arXiv: 1810.03648 . doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834021.
  18. ↑ Nesvorny, David; et al. (2019). "OSSOS IXX: Testing Early Solar System Dynamical Models using OSSOS Centaur Detections". arXiv: 1907.10723 .
  19. ↑ Alexandersen, Mike; et al. (2018). "OSSOS XII: Variability studies of 65 Trans-Neptunian Objects using the Hyper Suprime-Cam". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 244 (1): 19. arXiv: 1812.04304 . doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ab2fe4.
  20. ↑ Fraser, Wesley. "Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey" . Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  21. ↑ Pike, Rosemary E.; Fraser, Wesley C.; Schwamb, Megan E.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Marsset, Michael; Bannister, Michele T.; et al. (September 2017). "Col-OSSOS: z-Band Photometry Reveals Three Distinct TNO Surface Types". The Astronomical Journal. 154 (3): 8. arXiv: 1708.03079 . Bibcode:2017AJ....154..101P. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa83b1.
  22. ↑ Fraser, Wesley C.; Bannister, Michele T.; Pike, Rosemary E.; Marsset, Michael; Schwamb, Megan E.; Kavelaars, J. J.; et al. (April 2017). "All planetesimals born near the Kuiper belt formed as binaries". Nature Astronomy. 1 (4): 0088. arXiv: 1705.00683 . Bibcode:2017NatAs...1E..88F. doi:10.1038/s41550-017-0088.
  23. ↑ Schwamb, Megan E.; et al. (2018). "Col-OSSOS: The Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 243 (1): 12. arXiv: 1809.08501 . doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ab2194.
  24. ↑ Marsset, Michaël; et al. (2019). "Col-OSSOS: Color and Inclination Are Correlated throughout the Kuiper Belt". The Astronomical Journal. 157 (3): 94. arXiv: 1812.02190 . doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaf72e.
  25. ↑ Bannister, Michele T.; Schwamb, Megan E.; Fraser, Wesley C.; Marsset, Michael; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Benecchi, Susan D.; et al. (December 2017). "Col-OSSOS: Colors of the Interstellar Planetesimal 1I/'Oumuamua". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 851 (2): 7. arXiv: 1711.06214 . Bibcode:2017ApJ...851L..38B. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaa07c.
  26. 1 2 "People – The OSSOS collaboration". www.ossos-survey.org. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
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