THE ALBEDO-COLOR DIVERSITY OF TRANSNEPTUNIAN OBJECTS

Abstract

We analyze albedo data obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory that\nreveal the existence of two distinct types of surface among midsized\ntransneptunian objects. A color-albedo diagram shows two large clusters of\nobjects, one redder and higher albedo and another darker and more neutrally\ncolored. Crucially, all objects in our sample located in dynamically stable\norbits within the classical Kuiper belt region and beyond are confined to the\nbright-red group, implying a compositional link. Those objects are believed to\nhave formed further from the Sun than the dark-neutral bodies. This\ncolor-albedo separation is evidence for a compositional discontinuity in the\nyoung solar system.\n