The internal structure of Eris inferred from its spin and orbit evolution.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37967188.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adi9201 and PMC identifier 10651115.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The large Kuiper Belt object Eris is tidally locked to its small companion Dysnomia. Recently obtained bounds on the mass of Dysnomia demonstrate that Eris must be unexpectedly dissipative for it to have despun over the age of the solar system. Here, we show that Eris must have differentiated into an ice shell and rocky core to explain the dissipation. We further demonstrate that Eris's ice shell must be convecting to be sufficiently dissipative, which distinguishes it from Pluto's conductive shell. The difference is likely due to Eris's apparent depletion in volatiles compared with Pluto, perhaps as the result of a more energetic impact.