The colors of extreme outer solar system objects

Abstract

Extreme outer solar system objects have possible origins beyond the Kuiper Belt edge, high inclinations, very large semimajor axes, or large perihelion distances. Thirty-three such objects were observed in this work to determine their optical colors. All three objects that have been dynamically linked to the inner Oort Cloud by various authors ((90377) Sedna, 2006 SQ372, and (87269) 2000 OO67) were found to have ultra-red surface material (spectral gradient, S 25). Ultra-red material is generally associated with rich organics and the low inclination "cold" classical Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs). The observations detailed here show that very red material may be a more general feature for objects kept far from the Sun. The recently discovered retrograde outer solar system objects (2008 KV42 and 2008 YB 3) and the high inclination object (127546) 2002 XU93 show only moderately red surfaces (S 9) very similar to known comets, suspected dead comets, Jupiter and Neptune Trojans, irregular satellites, D-type asteroids, and damocloids. The extended or detached disk objects, which have large perihelion distances and are thus considered to be detached from the influence of the giant planets but yet have large eccentricities, are found to have mostly moderately red colors (10 ≲ S ≲ 18). The colors of the detached disk objects, including the dynamically unusual 2004 XR190 and (148209) 2000 CR105, are similar to the scattered disk and Plutino populations. Thus the detached disk, scattered disk, Plutino, and high inclination "hot" classical objects likely have a similar mix of objects from the same source regions. Outer classical KBOs, including (48639) 1995 TL8, were found to have very red surfaces (18 ≲ S ≲ 30). The low inclination "cold" classical KBOs, outer classical KBOs and possibly the inner Oort Cloud appear to be dominated by ultra-red objects (S ≳ 25) and thus do not likely have a similar mix of objects as the other outer solar system reservoirs such as the scattered disk, detached disk, and Trojan populations. A possible trend was found for the detached disk and outer classical Kuiper Belt in that objects with smaller eccentricities have redder surfaces irrespective of inclinations or perihelion distances. There is also a clear trend that objects more distant appear redder. © 2010 The American Astronomical Society.