BVRI Photometry of 27 Kuiper Belt Objects with ESO/Very Large Telescope

We present visible (BVRI) photometric measurements of 27 Trans-Neptunian objects, obtained with the FORS2 instrument on the ESO/8 m Very Large Telescope (Unit 2) from runs during September and November 2000. The objects display a broad and continuous range of colors from neutral-bluish to very red. Most of the objects also have a linear reflectivity spectrum over the VRI range. There is no evidence of a bimodal color distribution as has been previously reported by other groups. Several objects (1994 TB, 1995 SM(55), 1998 UR(43), 1999CF(119) and 2000 OK(67)) show evidence of changing color, and should be investigated further. The object 1995 SM(55) deserves a more complete study since its neutral-blue colors suggest it could be a good candidate for hosting cometary activity.