andyc
05-07-2016, 01:05 AM
Two Kuiper Belt objects sitting low in the evening sky are tiny little specks of light, glimmering from well beyond Pluto. 136472 Makemake is sitting next to the pretty galaxy NGC4725 in Coma Berenices, 52.6AU from Earth and nearly twice as far as Pluto (32.1AU away). 136108 Haumea is near a 6th magnitude star in Bootes, and is 50.5 AU away, both are currently near 17th magnitude in brightness. These are currently the 3rd and 4th largest Kuiper Belt objects (I think!) at 1500km and 1150km in diameter respectively. Elongated Haumea has a shiny surface of crystalline water ice, while Makemake is darker and redder, and has a strong spectral signature of methane on its surface. Both of which are of distinct interest for my planetary scientist wife Helen Maynard-Casely (https://theconversation.com/columns/helen-maynard-casely-4931), who researches outer Solar System ices! I just like seeing/imaging these things :astron:
See larger blink animations here (http://www.pbase.com/andycasely/kuiper_belt_objects).
See larger blink animations here (http://www.pbase.com/andycasely/kuiper_belt_objects).