A new observational search for vulcanoids in SOHO/LASCO coronagraph images

被引：15

作者：

Durda, DD ^{[1
]}

Stern, SA ^{[1
]}

Colwell, WB ^{[1
]}

Parker, JW ^{[1
]}

Levison, HF ^{[1
]}

Hassler, DM ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] SW Res Inst, Dept Space Studies, Boulder, CO 80302 USA

来源：

ICARUS | 2000年 / 148卷 / 01期

基金：

美国国家航空航天局;

关键词：

asteroids; Mercury; image processing;

D O I：

10.1006/icar.2000.6520

中图分类号：

P1 [天文学];

学科分类号：

0704 ;

摘要：

We examined SOHO/LASCO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph) C3 coronagraph images to search for the long-suspected population of small bodies, the vulcanoids, in heliocentric orbits interior to Mercury. We searched the entire vulcanoid region from 0.07-0.21 AU by visually blinking daily image averages co-registered on background stars. We found no vulcanoids to a moving object detection limiting magnitude of V = 8.0, corresponding to objects 20 and 60 km in diameter (assuming Mercury-like albedos) at the inner and outer boundaries of the Vulcanoid Zone, respectively. This negative detection suggests that candidate objects apparently detected interior to 0.09 AU by Courten et al, (1976, Bull. Am. Astron. Sec. 8, 504) were not permanent residents of that region, if real at all. Extrapolating from largest objects of 20 and 60 km to smaller-size objects with a Dohnanyi power-law size distribution (1969, J, Geophys. Res. 74, 2531), this result implies that the present population of vulcanoids larger than 1 km in diameter is no greater than similar to 1800-42000 objects, (C) 2000 Academic Press.

引用

页码：312 / 315

页数：4

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