A Possible Massive Asteroid Belt around ζ Leporis | Zendy

Christine Chen | Zendy; M. Jura | Zendy

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A Possible Massive Asteroid Belt around ζ Leporis

Author(s) -

Christine Chen,

M. Jura

Publication year - 2001

Publication title -

the astrophysical journal

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376

H-Index - 489

eISSN - 1538-4357

pISSN - 0004-637X

DOI - 10.1086/324057

Subject(s) - asteroid , asteroid belt , physics , astrophysics , solar system , astronomy , circumstellar dust , solar mass , infrared excess , cosmic dust , infrared , astrobiology , stars

We have used the Keck I telescope to image at 11.7 microns and 17.9 micronsthe dust emission around zeta Lep, a main sequence A-type star at 21.5 pc fromthe Sun with an infrared excess. The excess is at most marginally resolved at17.9 microns. The dust distance from the star is probably less than or equal to6 AU, although some dust may extend to 9 AU. The mass of observed dust is\~10^22 g. Since the lifetime of dust particles is about 10,000 years becauseof the Poytning-Robertson effect, we robustly estimate at least 4 10^26 g mustreside in parent bodies which may be asteroids if the system is in a steadystate and has an age of ~300 Myr. This mass is approximately 200 times thatcontained within the main asteroid belt in our solar system.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, ApJL in pres

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