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  • Review Article
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Spitzer’s Solar System studies of comets, centaurs and Kuiper belt objects

Nature Astronomy volume 4, pages 930–939 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

In its 16 years of scientific measurements, the Spitzer Space Telescope performed ground-breaking and key infrared measurements of Solar System objects near and far. Targets ranged from the smallest planetesimals to the giant planets; Spitzer helped us to reshape our understanding of these objects while also laying the groundwork for future infrared space-based observations like those to be undertaken by the James Webb Space Telescope in the 2020s. In this Review Article, we describe how Spitzer advanced our knowledge of Solar System formation and evolution through observations of small outer Solar System planetesimals—that is, comets, centaurs and Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). Relics from the early formation era of our Solar System, these objects hold important information about the processes that created them.We group Spitzer’s key contributions into three broad classes: characterization of new Solar System objects (comets D/ISON 2012 S1, C/2016 R2 and 1I/‘Oumuamua); large population surveys of known objects (comets, centaurs and KBOs); and compositional studies through spectral measurements of body surfaces and emitted materials.

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Fig. 1: The current paradigm of planetary system formation.
Fig. 2: Spitzer ‘Blue’ and ‘Red’ imaging of comets.
Fig. 3: Cumulative size distribution.
Fig. 4: Spitzer/IRS spectra of comets.
Fig. 5: Examples of Spitzer observations of comet trails dominated by large particles.
Fig. 6: Spitzer-derived Centaur diameters as compared to those derived from other measurement methods.
Fig. 7: Spitzer-thermal measurements of two active centaurs.
Fig. 8: Geometric albedo of TNOs based on MIPS thermal observations.
Fig. 9: Colours of TNOs measured using IRAC.

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Acknowledgements

We thank NASA, JPL, Caltech and the Spitzer project, without which none of the science described above would have been possible. As a NASA mission, local Solar System science measurements could have been downplayed or marginalized, but this was never the case. Instead, the authors experienced Spitzer observing schedules built around some of their time-critical observations, and large amounts of legacy science dedicated to their surveys. Project staff were welcoming and friendly but also highly professional and competent. The science return of NASA efforts like the Deep Impact, Stardust and OSIRIS-REx missions, and the ISON and ‘Oumuamua observing campaigns, were greatly enhanced by Spitzer’s observations. Notable support was provided by many, including L. Armus, S. Carey, C. Grillmair, G. Helou, R. Hurt, V. Meadows, L. Rebull, N. Silberman, G. Squires, T. Soifer, L. Storri-Lombardi and M. Werner. E.F.-V. also acknowledges support from the 2017 Preeminent Postdoctoral Program (P3) at UCF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA

    Carey Lisse

  2. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, USA

    James Bauer & Michael Kelley

  3. Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Dale Cruikshank & Diane Wooden

  4. Department of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Josh Emery, Yvonne Pendleton & David E. Trilling

  5. Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Yanga Fernández & Noemi Pinilla-Alonso

  6. Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Yanga Fernández, Estela Fernández-Valenzuela & Noemi Pinilla-Alonso

  7. NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    Adam McKay

  8. American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Adam McKay

  9. Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, Universities Space Research Association, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    William Reach

  10. Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    John Stansberry

  11. Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Mark Sykes

  12. University of California, San Diego, Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, La Jolla, CA, USA

    David Harker

  13. Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Robert Gehrz & Charles Woodward

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Contributions

C.L., D.E.T., Y.F., R.G., Y.P. and D.C. were responsible for the overall shape and structure of this manuscript, and much of the content of the introduction and the comet sections. Y.F., M.K., A.M., W.R., M.S., D.W., D.H. and C.W. were instrumental in producing the final form of the comet sections, as Y.F. drafted the Comet nucleus discussion, M.K., D.W., D.H. and C.W. the comet composition discussion, M.K., A.M. and D.E.T. the text on important individual comets, and W.R. and M.S. the discussion on comet trails. J.B., J.E. and J.S. were primarily responsible for creating the centaurs section. D.C., E.F.-V., N.P.-A. and J.S. wrote the KBO section.

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Correspondence to Carey Lisse.

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Peer review information Nature Astronomy thanks Imre Toth for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Lisse, C., Bauer, J., Cruikshank, D. et al. Spitzer’s Solar System studies of comets, centaurs and Kuiper belt objects. Nat Astron 4, 930–939 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-01219-6

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