Detection of Water Ice on Nereid

We report the detection of the 1.5 and 2.0 micrometers absorption bands of water ice in the near-infrared reflection spectrum of Neptune's distant irregular satellite Nereid. The spectrum and albedo of Nereid appear intermediate between those of the Uranian satellites Umbriel and Oberon, sugges...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Astrophysical journal Vol. 508; no. 2 Pt 2; pp. L175 - L176
Main Authors Brown, Michael E, Koresko, Christopher D, Blake, Geoffrey A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States IOP Publishing 01.12.1998
Subjects
Astronomical Phenomena
Astronomy
Extraterrestrial Environment
Ice
Minor Planets
Neptune
Space life sciences
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
Uranus
Water
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:We report the detection of the 1.5 and 2.0 micrometers absorption bands of water ice in the near-infrared reflection spectrum of Neptune's distant irregular satellite Nereid. The spectrum and albedo of Nereid appear intermediate between those of the Uranian satellites Umbriel and Oberon, suggesting a surface composed of a combination of water ice frost and a dark and spectrally neutral material. In contrast, the surface of Nereid appears dissimilar to those of the outer solar system minor planets Chiron, Pholus, and 1997 CU26. The spectrum thus provides support for the hypothesis that Nereid is a regular satellite formed in a circumplanetary environment rather than a captured object.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1538-4357
0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/311741