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J. Wm. Parker (Southwest Research Institute), W. D. Vacca (Institute for Astronomy / IRTF)
In this paper we present recent results of our ongoing program to study the physical properties of Edgeworth-Kuiper Objects (EKOs) and Centaurs based on IR and visible observations. Our program consists of three primary and interdependent observing strategies and goals: (1) Recovery/follow-up observations of EKOs and Centaurs to obtain magnitudes in standard filters at a given epoch; (2) repeated observations of selected targets over many months to determine lightcurves and investigate variability; and (3) multi-color visible and IR observations to be used to determine physical properties. The last observing strategy is particularly powerful if the multi-color data are acquired contemporaneously, as visible-IR colors then can be measured without having to make assumptions and corrections for any unknown lightcurve and phase angle effects that otherwise are a source of uncertainty in the calculated colors.
We will report on the status of our observations, particularly the visible and IR color photometry and present some preliminary results of our analysis.
This work is funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Program Grant NAG-7076
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: joel@boulder.swri.edu