Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-20-2001
Abstract
We describe the discovery circumstances and photometric properties of 2000 EB173, now one of the brightest trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) with opposition magnitude mR = 18.9 and also one of the largest Plutinos, found with the drift-scanning camera of the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team, attached to the 1 m Schmidt telescope of the National Observatory of Venezuela. We measure B-V = 0.99 ± 0.14 and V-R = 0.57 ± 0.05, a red color observed for many fainter TNOs. At our magnitude limit mK = 20.1 ± 0.20, our single detection reveals a sky density of 0.015+0.034-0.012 TNOs per square degree (the error bars are 68% confidence limits), consistent with fainter surveys showing a cumulative number proportional to 100.5mR. Assuming an inclination distribution of TNOs with FWHM exceeding 30°, it is likely that 100 to several hundred objects brighter than mR = 20.1 remain to be discovered.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Astrophysical Journal
Recommended Citation
Ferrin, I., Rabinowitz, D., Schaefer, B., Snyder, J., Ellman, N., Vicente, B., Rengstorf, A., Depoy, D., Salim, S., Andrews, P., Bailyn, C., Baltay, C., Briceno, C., Coppi, P., Deng, M., Emmet, W., Oemler, A., Sabbey, C., Shin, J., Sofia, S., Van Altena, W., Vivas, K., Abad, C., Bongiovanni, A., Bruzual, G., Della Prugna, F., Herrera, D., Magris, G., Mateu, J., Pacheco, R., Sánchez, G., Sánchez, G., & Schenner, H. (2001). Discovery of the bright trans-Neptunian object 2000 EB173. Astrophysical Journal, 548 (2 PART 2) https://doi.org/10.1086/319109