Small bodies science with the Twinkle space telescope

Journal article

Twinkle is an upcoming 0.45-m space-based telescope equipped with a visible and two near-infrared spectrometers covering the spectral range 0.4 to 4.5  μm with a resolving power R  ∼  250 (λ  <  2.42  μm) and R  ∼  60 (λ  >  2.42  μm). We explore Twinkle’s capabilities for small bodies science and find that, given Twinkle’s sensitivity, pointing stability, and spectral range, the mission can observe a large number of small bodies. The sensitivity of Twinkle is calculated and compared to the flux from an object of a given visible magnitude. The number, and brightness, of asteroids and comets that enter Twinkle’s field of regard is studied over three time periods of up to a decade. We find that, over a decade, several thousand asteroids enter Twinkle’s field of regard with a brightness and nonsidereal rate that will allow Twinkle to characterize them at the instrumentation’s native resolution with SNR  >  100. Hundreds of comets can also be observed. Therefore, Twinkle offers researchers the opportunity to contribute significantly to the field of Solar System small bodies research.

Authors: Edwards, B; Lindsay, S; Savini, G; Tinetti, G; Arena, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers
• Journal: Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 3
• Article number: 34004
• Publication date: 2019-09-17
• Acceptance date: 2019-08-21
• DOI: 10.1117/1.JATIS.5.3.034004
• EISSN: 2329-4221
• ISSN: 2329-4124
• Language: English
• Keywords: space telescope; Solar System bodies; visible and near-infrared spectroscopy