A Two-color Map of Pluto’s Sub-Charon Hemisphere - Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University

A Two-color Map of Pluto’s Sub-Charon Hemisphere

Eliot Young, Richard Binzel, and Keenan Crane
Journal Article, Astronomical Journal, Vol. 121, No. 1, pp. 552 - 561, January, 2001

Abstract

Pluto and its satellite Charon regularly occulted or transited each others disks from 1985 through 1990. The light curves resulting from these events (collectively called "mutual events") have been used to determine albedo maps of Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere. We now use a data set of four light curves that were obtained in both B and V Johnson filters to construct a two-color map of Pluto's surface. We are able to resolve the central part of Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere. We find that the dark albedo feature that forms a band below Pluto's equator is comprised of several distinct color units. We detect ratios of V-filter/B-filter normal reflectances ranging from D1.15 to D1.39 on Pluto's sub-Charon hemisphere.

BibTeX

@article{Young-2001-121369,
author = {Eliot Young and Richard Binzel and Keenan Crane},
title = {A Two-color Map of Pluto’s Sub-Charon Hemisphere},
journal = {Astronomical Journal},
year = {2001},
month = {January},
volume = {121},
number = {1},
pages = {552 - 561},
}