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[36.06] Albedo of Irregular Satellites of the Giant Planets

T. Grav (Univeristy of Hawaii)

The outer solar system is filled with small bodies that hold some of the keys to understanding the formation and evolution of the giant planets and the Solar System itself. The Kuiper Belt, Centaurs and irregular satellites are considered to be from the same phase space of the solar system, although the exact connection remains unknown. We have performed a series of observations on the small bodies of the solar system with the goal of understanding their physical composition and characteristic. Using mid-infrared observations done with the Spitzer InfraRed Telescope Facility, together with groundbased visual observations, we have determined albedos and sizes for 21 jovian and 8 saturnian irregular satellites. We will also compare the result with recent mid-infrared results on main belt asteroids, trojans, centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects.

Based on observations performed with Spitzer InfraRed Telescope Facility, Gemini Observatory, Keck Observatory and Subaru Observatory. This work has been supported by grants NASA/JPL-RSA1264797 and NASA/JPL1270738.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: grav@ifa.hawaii.edu

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.