J 2025

Stellar Occultation Observations of (38628) Huya and Its Satellite: A Detailed Look into the System

ROMMEL, F. L.; E. FERNANDEZ-VALENZUELA; B. C. N. PROUDFOOT; J. L. ORTIZ; B. E. MORGADO et al.

Basic information

Original name

Stellar Occultation Observations of (38628) Huya and Its Satellite: A Detailed Look into the System

Authors

ROMMEL, F. L.; E. FERNANDEZ-VALENZUELA; B. C. N. PROUDFOOT; J. L. ORTIZ; B. E. MORGADO; B. SICARDY; N. MORALES; F. BRAGA-RIBAS; J. DESMARS; R. VIEIRA-MARTINS; B. J. HOLLER; Y. KILIC; W. GRUNDY; J. L. RIZOS; J. I. B. CAMARGO; G. BENEDETTI-ROSSI; A. GOMES-JUNIOR; M. ASSAFIN; P. SANTOS-SANZ; M. KRETLOW; M. VARA-LUBIANO; R. LEIVA; D. A. RAGOZZINE; R. DUFFARD; Hana KUČÁKOVÁ; K. HORNOCH; V. NIKITIN; T. SANTANA-ROS; O. CANALES-MORENO; D. LAFUENTE-AZNAR; S. CALAVIA-BELLOC; C. PERELLO; A. SELVA; F. ORGANERO; L. A. HERNANDEZ; I. DE LA CUEVA; M. YUSTE-MORENO; E. GARCIA-NAVARRO; J. E. DONATE-LUCAS; L. IZQUIERDO-CARRION; R. IGLESIAS-MARZOA; E. LACRUZ; R. GONCALVES; B. STAELS; R. GOOSSENS; A. HENDEN; G. WALKER; J. A. REYES; S. PASTOR; S. KASPI; M. SKRUTSKIE; A. J. VERBISCER; P. MARTINEZ; P. ANDRE; J. L. MAESTRE; F. J. ACEITUNO; P. BACCI; M. MAESTRIPIERI; M. D. GRAZIA; A. J. CASTRO-TIRADO; I. PEREZ-GARCIA; E. J. Fernandez GARCIA; E. FERNANDEZ; S. MESSNER; G. SCARFI; H. MIKUZ; J. PRAT; P. MARTORELL; D. NARDIELLO; V. NASCIMBENI; R. SFAIR; P. B. SIQUEIRA; V. LATTARI; L. LIBERATO; T. F. L. L. PINHEIRO; T. DE SANTANA; C. L. PEREIRA; M. A. ALAVA-AMAT; F. CIABATTARI; H. GONZALEZ-RODRIGUEZ and C. SCHNABEL

Edition

PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL, 2025, 2632-3338

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

10308 Astronomy

Country of publisher

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 4.300 in 2024

Organization unit

Institute of physics in Opava

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adabc1

UT WoS

001427564600001

EID Scopus

2-s2.0-85219334494

Keywords in English

Trans neptunian objects;Herschel pacs;Mutual orbits;Shape;Ring;Contrains;Centaurs;Spectra;Albedo;Tnos

Tags

RIV26, UF

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Changed: 2/2/2026 13:33, Mgr. Pavlína Jalůvková

Abstract

In the original language

The physical and orbital parameters of trans-Neptunian objects provide valuable information about the solar system's formation and evolution. In particular, the characterization of binaries provides insights into the formation mechanisms that may be playing a role at such large distances from the Sun. Studies show two distinct populations, and (38628) Huya occupies an intermediate position between the unequal-sized binaries and those with components of roughly equal sizes. In this work, we predicted and observed three stellar occultation events by Huya. Huya and its satellitewere detected during occultations in 2021 March and again in 2023 June. Additionally, an attempt to detect Huya in 2023 February resulted in an additional single-chord detection of the secondary. A spherical body with a minimum diameter of D = 165 km can explain the three single-chord observations and provide a lower limit for the satellite size. The astrometry of Huya's system, as derived from the occultations and supplemented by observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Observatory, provided constraints on the satellite orbit and the mass of the system. Therefore, assuming the secondary is in an equatorial orbit around the primary, the limb fitting was constrained by the satellite orbit position angle. The system density, calculated by summing the most precise measurement of Huya's volume to the spherical satellite average volume, is rho 1 = 1073 +/- 66 kg m-3. The density that the object would have assuming a Maclaurin equilibrium shape with a rotational period of 6.725 +/- 0.01 hr is rho 2 = 768 +/- 42 kg m-3. This difference rules out the Maclaurin equilibrium assumption for the main body shape.
Displayed: 10/2/2026 06:36