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Discovery [1] | |
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Discovered by | PMO NEO Survey Program |
Discovery site | Purple Mountain Obs. |
Discovery date | 6 February 2008 |
Designations | |
2012 DR30 | |
| |
Orbital characteristics [2] [a] | |
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 1 | |
Observation arc | 14.72 yr (5,375 d) |
Aphelion | 3192 AU 2049 AU (barycentric) |
Perihelion | 14.5 AU |
1603.44 AU 1032 AU (barycentric) | |
Eccentricity | 0.9909 |
64207 yr 33100 yr (barycentric) | |
0.0453° | |
0° 0m 0s / day | |
Inclination | 77.986° |
341.48° | |
≈ 16 March 2011 [6] | |
195.57° | |
Jupiter MOID | 9.311 AU |
Saturn MOID | 5.45 AU [1] |
Uranus MOID | 3.32 AU [1] |
TJupiter | 0.9860 |
Physical characteristics | |
19.9 [7] | |
7.1 [2] [1] | |
(668643) 2012 DR30 is a trans-Neptunian object and centaur with an extremely eccentric orbit that brings it from inner Oort cloud, the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 6 February 2008 by astronomers at Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking, China. [1] It measures approximately 188 kilometers (120 miles) in diameter.
Using an epoch of February 2017, it has the second-largest heliocentric semi-major axis of a minor planet not detected outgassing like a comet. [8] ( 2014 FE72 has a larger heliocentric semi-major axis.) 2012 DR30 does have a barycentric semi-major axis of 1032 AU. [9] [a] For the epoch of July 2018 2012 DR30 will have its largest heliocentric semi-major axis of 1644 AU.
Orbital evolution | ||
Year [a] (epoch) | Barycentric Aphelion (Q) (AU) | Orbital period years |
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1950 | 2000 | 32000 |
2050 | 2049 | 33100 |
2012 DR30 passed 5.7 AU from Saturn in February 2009 and came to perihelion in March 2011 at a distance of 14.5 AU from the Sun (inside the orbit of Uranus). [2] In 2018, it will move from 18.2 AU to 19.1 AU from the Sun. [7] It comes to opposition in late March. With an absolute magnitude (H) of 7.1, [1] the object has a published diameter of 185 and 188 kilometers, respectively. [4] [5]
With an observation arc of 14.7 years, [2] it has a well constrained orbit. It will not be 50 AU from the Sun until 2047. After leaving the planetary region of the Solar System, 2012 DR30 will have a barycentric aphelion of 2049 AU with an orbital period of 33100 years. [a] In a 10 million year integration of the orbit, the nominal (best-fit) orbit and both 3-sigma clones remain outside 12.2 AU (qmin) from the Sun. [3] Summary of barycentric orbital parameters are: