# # Program information file # PROGRAM_ID 2024A080 PROGRAM_TITLE Observing a stellar occultation of a trans-Neptunian object and computing its rotational light curve PROGRAM_INV1 Bryan Holler PROGRAM_INV2 Estela Fernandez-Valenzuela PROGRAM_INV3 Cameron Collyer PROGRAM_INV4 Xavier Inosencio PROGRAM_INV5 PROGRAM_SCICAT Centaurs / TNOs / KBOs PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG A stellar occultation occurs when a foreground solar system body passes in front of a background star, casting a faint shadow. When this shadow falls across the Earth, telescopes in the shadow path can detect the decrease in starlight. Piecing together information across the shadow path from various facilities results in high-precision information about the size, shape, and albedo of the object. Stellar occultations are an extremely powerful method that has also enabled the detection of rings around Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects [TNOs], unseen satellites, and even topographic features [e.g., valleys and canyons] on the surfaces of objects orbiting 10s of au from the Sun. In this program, we propose to obtain observations of a stellar occultation by a TNO visible from the IRTF and also obtain its rotation light curve close in time to better constrain the rotation phase, and thereby the size and shape of the body. PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END