INFORMATION LIMIT OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO RECENT PHOTOMETRY OF PLUTO

An algebraic approach originally intended for the heuristic modelling of the maculation effects of chromospherically active stars has been used to model the rotational modulation of Pluto's light. Two dark spots (30.0 ‡ ± 0.8 ‡ and 16.4 ‡ ± 1.4 ‡ in radius, at longitudes 3.4 ± 3.2 and 138.0 ± 5.2 degrees, and respective latitudes -35 ‡ and -16 ‡) were found to model the 1982.2 data of Binzel and Mulholland (1983) best. These parameters are in reasonable agreement with the other published models of Pluto's surface for the data, however this model can not be well reconciled with older data sets. A possible solution is dynamic behaviour of the dark features themselves, increasing in radius as perihelion is approached. We stress a minimum in the introduction of ad hoc surface feature hypothesis in this treatment. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.