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Science 15 January 1982:
Vol. 215. no. 4530, pp. 289 - 291
DOI: 10.1126/science.215.4530.289
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Articles

Occultation by a Possible Third Satellite of Neptune

H. J. REITSEMA 1, W. B. HUBBARD 1, L. A. LEBOFSKY 1, and D. J. THOLEN 1

1 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721

The 24 May 1981 close approach of Neptune to an uncataloged star was photoelectrically monitored from two observatories separated by 6 kilometers parallel to the occultation track. An 8.1-second drop in signal, recorded simultaneously at both sites, is interpreted as resulting from the passage of a third satellite of Neptune in front of the star. From the duration of the event, the derived minimum diameter for an object sharing Neptune's motion is 180 kilometers. If the object was in Neptune's equatorial plane and there are no significant errors in the prediction ephemeris, the object was located at a distance of 3 Neptune radii from Neptune's center.

Submitted on June 15, 1981
Revised on September 8, 1981


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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