wfirst and solar system science
TRANSCRIPT
WFIRSTandSolarSystemScience
DavidE.TrillingNorthernArizonaUniversity
IntrototheSolarSystem
Theforma<onandevolu<onoftheSolarSystemcanbelearnedfromstudyingtheproper<esofmillionsofsmallbodies
Orienta<on
SunSun
SunSunEarth’sorbit
SunMainbe
ltasteroids
SunEarth’sorbit
SunMainbe
ltasteroids N
earEarthasteroidsSunEarth’sorbit
Sun
PlutoKuiperBeltObjects
Pluto
AtthisscaletheneareststarisatLAX
KuiperBeltObjects
SolarSystemobjectsmove
Movingobjectsmove
Movingobjectsmove
HST/WFPC2Evansetal.1998
Movingobjectsmove
• Ratesofmo<on:From1—100”/hour• ImpactsbothGIandGOscience(ifthereisnonon-siderealobserving;moreonthislater)
Movingobjectsmove
Mainbeltasteroidinoneday
KuiperBeltObjectinoneday
Scienceinves<ga<ons
GuestInves<gatorscience
GuestInves<gatorscience
• Archive:onlyWFIdataisgoingtobeuseful
GuestInves<gatorscience
IfNOrepeat:– Onlytrailedobjects(trailsupto30-50pixels)– Sta<s<calpopula<onproper<es(howmany,howbright)asderivedfromtrails
– LessonslearnedfromPan-STARRS(example:NearEarthAsteroidlightcurvesmeasuredinthetrail)
GuestInves<gatorscience
IfYESrepeat:– SlowmovingouterSolarSystemobjects(connectthedots)
– Individualobjectproper<es
1arcm
inx1arcmin
1arcm
inx1arcmin
GuestInves<gatorscience
AndyGould(2014):– KBOorbits– BinaryKBOs– Occulta<ons
GuestObserverscience
GuestObserverscience
• Withoutnon-siderealobserving,onlyWFIwillbeuseful
GuestObserverscience:WFI
• NearEarthAsteroids(10secexposures)• MainBeltAsteroids(30secexposures)• KuiperBeltObjects(270secexposures)
GuestObserverscience:WFI
NearEarthAsteroids:UKIRTMommertetal.
GuestObserverscience:WFI
MainBeltAsteroids:2MASSSykesetal.
GuestObserverscience:WFI
KuiperBeltObjects
Hainautetal.
Non-siderealobserving
Non-siderealobserving
• Opensawholenewworldfordedicatedstudies
Non-siderealobserving
• Opensawholenewworldfordedicatedstudies
• WFI:– Characteriza<onof(very)faintobjectsthroughlongintegra<ons
– EveryknownKuiperBeltObject– AlmosteveryknownNearEarthAsteroid
Non-siderealobserving
• Opensawholenewworldfordedicatedstudies
• IFU:– Spectraof(verysmall)NearEarthAsteroids– Separatespectraofbinarycomponents– Icecomposi<onsintheouterSolarSystem
Non-siderealobserving
• Opensawholenewworldfordedicatedstudies
• Coronagraphy:– SatellitesofKuiperBeltObjects– Ac<veasteroids 5arcsec
Non-siderealobserving
• Opensawholenewworldfordedicatedstudies
• Couldsaymuchmore,buttryingtostay“highlevel”
PlanetNine
PlanetNine
RecentlypredictedNeptune-sizedobjectat~500AU
PlanetNine
• WFI:SearchforPlanetNine• WFI/IFU:Characterizeatmosphere• Cor.:Searchformoons,rings,….
Otherassets
Otherassets
• JWST:Highlycomplementary• LSSTasteroidsinWFIRSTFOVwillbestronglydetected(andfurthercharacterized)
• NEOCam(proposedDiscoverymission):AddNIRcharacteriza<ontothermalIRdiscovery(butoverlapmightbesmallbecauseoforbits)
Conclusions
Conclusions
• UseWFIRSTtostudysmallSolarSystembodies• WFI/GI:KBOs,alsoNearEarthAsteroids• WFI/GO:KBOs,asteroidcharacteriza<onIfnon-siderealobservingispossible• Manyaddi<onalprojects(WFI,Cor.)Otherassets• HighlycomplementarytoLSST,JWST;lesssoforNEOCam