Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volume 659, Issue 1, Pages L61-L64Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1086/516709
Keywords
Kuiper Belt; planets and satellites : general
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Recent discoveries have shown that the very largest Kuiper Belt objects - Eris, 2005 FY9, and Sedna-are coated in methane and may contain other volatile ices as well. New detailed observations show that even within this class of volatile-rich bodies, unexpected differences exist in their surface compositions. 2005 FY9, a body approximately 60% the size of Pluto, with a reflectance spectrum similarly dominated by methane, has a surface depleted in molecular nitrogen by at least an order of magnitude with respect to Pluto. We find that the existence of this new class of volatile-rich objects, the lack of volatiles on most Kuiper Belt objects, and even the otherwise peculiar surface of 2005 FY9 can be explained as a consequence of atmospheric escape of volatile compounds. While previous studies of the surface compositions of objects in the Kuiper Belt have found no explainable patterns, atmospheric escape appears to provide a first-order explanation of the range of surface spectra seen on bodies in the outer solar system.
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