Nereid Has Complex Large-Amplitude Photometric Variability (Due to Chaotic Rotation)

Abstract

We report on 224 photometric measurements of Nereid, a small outer satellite of Neptune. Our photometry covers 64 nights from 1987 to 1997 and is primarily in the V-band; we also have 20 measurements in the U, B, R, and I bands. (1) Nereid displays large-amplitude brightness variations with a total amplitude of 1.83 mag on time scales ranging from a few hours to roughly a year. (2) The amplitude as well as the time scale of variation changes greatly from year to year. (3) Nereid's variability is caused by high contrast albedo features along with rotational modulation. (4) The changing amplitudes and time scales demonstrate that the direction and magnitude of Nereid's rotational angular momentum vector is not constant. (5) Such changes are predicted to arise from chaotic rotation during every periapse passage provided that Nereid is more than about 1% nonspherical and is spinning slowly. The match between prediction and observation could be taken as strong evidence for chaotic rotation of Nereid. However, the intranight variability cannot be readily explained by chaotic rotation. (6) The colors of Nereid are U-V=0.84+-0.05, B-V=0.71+-0.04, V-R=0.44+-0.03, V-I=0.72+-0.05, and V-K=1.6. (7) Nereid is likely either an inner moon of Neptune kicked to its current orbit or a captured Kuiper Belt Object or centaur, with the latter possibility being strongly preferred.