COLOR DIVERSITY AMONG THE CENTAURS AND KUIPER BELT OBJECTS

We present new broadband optical photometry of Centaurs and Kuiper Bel t objects from the Keek 10 m, the University of Hawaii 2.2 m, and the Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory (CTIO) 1.5 m telescopes. These objects are believed to represent large protocomets in different stage s of dynamical evolution. We find a wide dispersion in the optical col ors of the objects, indicating nonuniform surface properties. The colo r dispersion must be understood in the context of the expected steady reddening due to bombardment by the ubiquitous flux of cosmic rays. We describe a model in which the dispersion is produced by stochastic co llisional resurfacing. While non-unique, this model provides a plausib le match to the observed color spread. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.