Impact craters on Pluto and Charon indicate a deficit of small Kuiper belt objects

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aap8628
• Publication Date: 2019-03-01T00:09:12Z
• Authors: K. N. Singer; W. B. McKinnon; B. Gladman; S. Greenstreet; E. B. Bierhaus; S. A. Stern; A. H. Parker; S. J. Robbins; P. M. Schenk; W. M. Grundy; V. J. Bray; R. A. Beyer; R. P. Binzel; H. A. Weaver; L. A. Young; J. R. Spencer; J. J. Kavelaars; J. M. Moore; A. M. Zangari; C. B. Olkin; T. R. Lauer; C. M. Lisse; K. Ennico; ; ; ; Marc W. Buie; Bonnie J. Buratti; Andrew F. Cheng; Jason C. Cook; Dale P. Cruikshank; Cristina M. Dalle; Alissa M. Earle; Mihaly Horanyi; Carly J. A. Howett; Don E. Jennings; Ivan R. Linscott; Allen W. Lunsford; Silvia Protopapa; Harold J. Reitsema; Dennis C. Reuter; Mark R. Showalter; G. Leonard Tyler; G. E. Weigle
• Keywords: Pluto; Trans-Neptunian object

Impact craters on Pluto and Charon Collisions between Solar System bodies produce impact large objects at a rate that depends the population of impacting small bodies. Singer et al. examined its moon Charon. Some regions have had their erased by recent geological processes, but others appear to record 4 billion years impacts. Because are located in Kuiper belt, distribution crater sizes reflects size belt (KBOs). The authors found fewer KBOs than predicted models collision equilibrium, implying some KBO has been preserved since formation System. Science , this issue p. 955