Small bodies science with the Twinkle space telescope
| Autor: | Marcell Tessenyi, Neil Bowles, Giorgio Savini, Sean S. Lindsay, Billy Edwards, Giovanna Tinetti, C. Arena |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Brightness Solar System Mechanical Engineering Visible and near infrared spectroscopy Astronomy Astronomy and Astrophysics Field of view 01 natural sciences Electronic Optical and Magnetic Materials law.invention 010309 optics Telescope Spitzer Space Telescope Space and Planetary Science Control and Systems Engineering Asteroid law 0103 physical sciences Magnitude (astronomy) 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Instrumentation |
| Popis: | Twinkle is an upcoming 0.45-m space-based telescope equipped with a visible and two near-infrared spectrometers covering the spectral range 0.4 to 4.5 μm with a resolving power R ∼ 250 (λ 2.42 μm). We explore Twinkle’s capabilities for small bodies science and find that, given Twinkle’s sensitivity, pointing stability, and spectral range, the mission can observe a large number of small bodies. The sensitivity of Twinkle is calculated and compared to the flux from an object of a given visible magnitude. The number, and brightness, of asteroids and comets that enter Twinkle’s field of regard is studied over three time periods of up to a decade. We find that, over a decade, several thousand asteroids enter Twinkle’s field of regard with a brightness and nonsidereal rate that will allow Twinkle to characterize them at the instrumentation’s native resolution with SNR > 100. Hundreds of comets can also be observed. Therefore, Twinkle offers researchers the opportunity to contribute significantly to the field of Solar System small bodies research. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|