A Search for Distant Satellites of Neptune

Michael J.I. Brown and Rachel L. Webster, PASA, 15 (3), 325
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A Search for Distant Satellites of Neptune

Michael J.I. Brown tex2html_wrap_inline78 and Rachel L. Webster tex2html_wrap_inline78

tex2html_wrap_inline78 School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 3052
mbrown@physics.unimelb.edu.au

Abstract:

The recent discovery of two distant satellites of Uranus suggests that there could be similar bodies orbiting Neptune. Previous surveys for distant satellites of Neptune have had relatively bright magnitude limits (tex2html_wrap_inline84) and would have missed satellites with magnitudes and colours similar to the 2 recently discovered Uranian satellites (tex2html_wrap_inline86 and tex2html_wrap_inline88). We have searched for satellites of Neptune to a limiting magnitude of tex2html_wrap_inline90 in a tex2html_wrap_inline92 region centred on the planet. This search is up to tex2html_wrap_inline94 magnitudes deeper than the previous wide field search for distant satellites by the UK Schmidt Telescope. Nereid was easily recovered by the search and no large variations of its magnitude were detected.

Keywords: planets and satellites: Neptune, Nereid



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