Published in Icarus in Aug 30, 2016
We report observations of four energetic volcanic eruptions on Io: at Tupan Patera on UT 8 March 2003; Tung Yo Patera on UT 28 May 2004; Sui Jen Patera on UT 30 May 2004; and south of Babbar Patera on UT 31 May 2005. The Tung Yo, Sui Jen and south of Babbar Paterae eruptions are in locations where no activity had been seen before. Our observations ...
Published in The Astrophysical Journal in Mar 28, 2016
Published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in Jan 04, 2016
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides the opportunity for ground- breaking observations of asteroids. It covers wavelength regions that are unavailable from the ground and does so with unprecedented sensitivity. The main belt and Trojan asteroids are all observable at some point in the JWST lifetime. We present an overview of the capabilit...
Published in Bulletin Southern California Academy of Sciences in Jan 01, 2016
in Jan 01, 2016
Published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in Aug 31, 2015
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument is a multipurpose high-contrast imaging platform designed for the discovery and detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems and serves as a testbed for high-contrast imaging technologies for ELTs. It is a multiband instrument which makes use of light from 600 to 2500 nm, all...
Published in Icarus in Feb 28, 2015
We aim to provide a taxonomic and compositional characterization of Multiple Asteroid Systems (MASs) located in the main belt (MB) using visible (0.45–0.85 μm) and near-infrared (0.7–2.5 μm) spectral data of 42 MB MASs. The compositional and mineralogical analysis is applied to determine meteorite analogs for the MASs, which, in turn, are app...
in Oct 30, 2014
Using the recently installed Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), we have taken the first H-band spectrum of the planetary companion to the nearby young star beta Pictoris. GPI is designed to image and provide low-resolution spectra of Jupiter sized, self-luminous planetary companions around young nearby stars. These observations were taken covering the H-b...
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Sep 01, 2014
in Aug 06, 2014
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a facility extreme-AO high-contrast instrument– optimized solely for study of faint companions–on the Gemini telescope. It combines a high- order MEMS AO system (1493 active actuators), an apodized pupil Lyot coronagraph, a high- accuracy IR post-coronagraph wavefront sensor, and a near-infrared integral field ...
in Jul 13, 2014
The newly commissioned Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) combines extreme adaptive optics, an advanced coronagraph, precision wavefront control and a lenslet-based integral field spectrograph (IFS) to measure the spectra of young extrasolar giant planets between 0.9-2.5 μm. Each GPI detector image, when in spectral model, consists of~ 37,000 microspectra...
in Jul 07, 2014
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument is one of a handful of extreme adaptive optics systems set to come online in 2014. The extreme adaptive optics correction is realized by a combination of precise wavefront sensing via a non-modulated pyramid wavefront sensor and a 2000 element deformable mirror. This system has re...
Published in Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society in Mar 13, 2014
We present the Coordinated Synoptic Investigation of NGC? 2264, a continuous 30? day multi-wavelength photometric monitoring campaign on more than 1000 young cluster members using 16 telescopes. The unprecedented combination of multi-wavelength, high-precision, high-cadence, and long-duration data opens a new window into the time domain behavior of...
Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in Feb 27, 2014
Asteroids with satellites are natural laboratories to constrain the formation and evolution of our solar system. The binary Trojan asteroid (624) Hektor is the only known Trojan asteroid to possess a small satellite. Based on WM Keck adaptive optics observations, we found a unique and stable orbital solution, which is uncommon in comparison to the ...
Published in Planetary and Space Science in Oct 31, 2013
On 2012 January 19, observers in the northeastern United States of America observed an occultation of 8.0-mag HIP 41337 star by the Jupiter–Trojan (911) Agamemnon, including one video recorded with a 36 cm telescope that shows a deep brief secondary occultation that is likely due to a satellite, of about 5 km (most likely 3–10 km) across, at 27...
in Sep 12, 2012
Adaptive Optics systems, today available on 8-10m class telescopes are playing a significant role in the study of our solar system bodies. We describe three main science cases i) small solar system bodies ii) satellites of giant planets iii) giant planets atmospheres. We describe recent results acquired with these systems in these fields. We discus...
Published in Icarus in Dec 31, 2011
Isotopic and chemical compositions of meteorites, coupled with dynamical simulations, suggest that the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter contains objects formed in situ as well as a population of interlopers. These interlopers are predicted to include the building blocks of the terrestrial planets as well as objects that formed beyond...
Published in Icarus in Dec 01, 2011
in Nov 01, 2011
Published in ScienceOpen Astronomy & Astrophysics in Nov 01, 2011
Context. The planetary system WASP-33 is an interesting target because of the discovery of a transiting planet, the misalignment of the stellar rotation axis and the planet orbit, the possible existence of an additional planet in the system, and the presence of δ Scuti pulsations in the hosting star. Its study promises in particular to help us und...