Estela
Fernández-Valenzuela
(Florida
Space
Institute,
UCF)
Abstract
The
outer
part
of
the
Solar
system
is
populated
by
the
so-called
trans-Neptunian
objects
(TNOs),
small
bodies
that
describe
elliptic
orbits
with
a
larger
semi-major
axis
than
that
of
Neptune.
They
were
formed
beyond
the
snow
line,
where
the
temperature
of
the
protoplanetary
disc
was
low
enough
to
allow
molecules
of
volatiles
(such
as
water
or
methane)
to
survive
during
this
early
era
of
the
Solar
system.
Due
to
the
vast
distances
to
the
Sun,
the
surface
materials
of
TNOs
have
undergone
less
chemical
processes
if
compared
with
other
objects
of
the
Solar
system;
in
some
sense,
these
objects
are
time
capsules
containing
almost
intact
material
from
the
protoplanetary
disc.
I
will
discuss
two
of
the
most
powerful
techniques
for
the
study
of
the
physical
properties
of
these
objects
using
ground-based
observations,
photometry
and
stellar
occultations,
and
present
some
of
the
latest
advances
in
this
area
of
research.