Discovery [1] [2] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | D. J. Tholen S. S. Sheppard [3] C. Trujillo |
Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
Discovery date | 26 July 2017 (first observed only) |
Designations | |
2017 OF69 | |
TNO [4] · plutino [5] · distant [1] | |
Orbital characteristics [4] | |
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
Observation arc | 6.01 yr (2,195 d) |
Aphelion | 47.844 AU (7.1574 Tm) |
Perihelion | 31.418 AU (4.7001 Tm) |
39.631 AU (5.9287 Tm) | |
Eccentricity | 0.2072 |
249.49 yr (91,128 d) | |
251.02° | |
0° 0m 14.4s / day | |
Inclination | 13.654° |
218.53° | |
215.37° | |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 533 km (est.) [5] |
0.09 (assumed) [5] | |
4.6 [1] [4] | |
(678191) 2017 OF69 is a resonant trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System in the Kuiper belt's plutino population and measures approximately 533 kilometers (330 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 26 July 2017, by American astronomers David Tholen, Scott Sheppard, and Chad Trujillo at Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, but not announced until 31 May 2018 due to observations made in April and May 2018 refining its orbit significantly. [2]
2017 OF69 is a large plutino, a subgroup of the resonant trans-Neptunian objects located in the inner region of Kuiper belt. Named after the group's largest member, Pluto, the plutinos are making 2 orbits for every 3 Neptune makes.
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 31.4–47.8 AU once every 249 years and 6 months (91,128 days; semi-major axis of 39.63 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic. [4] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery by Pan-STARRS in June 2012. [1]
As of 2018, this minor planet has neither been numbered nor named by the Minor Planet Center. The official discoverer(s) will be defined when the object is numbered. [1]
According to the Johnston's archive, 2017 OF69 measures 533 kilometers in diameter assuming an albedo of 0.09 for the body's surface. [5]
This makes 2017 OF69 a notably large body for how late it has been discovered, being the fifth largest plutino in the Solar System, after Pluto, Orcus, 2003 AZ84 , and Ixion, and the largest discovered since Orcus in 2004. It is unknown exactly why no surveys had discovered it previously, as it is neither in a particularly dense region of the sky, nor far enough south that most northern hemisphere-based surveys would ignore it, being only 5–6° south of the celestial equator. It seems unlikely that any body as large as this one remains undetected in the plutino region.
As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of 2017 OF69 has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown. [4]
In astronomy, the plutinos are a dynamical group of trans-Neptunian objects that orbit in 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Neptune. This means that for every two orbits a plutino makes, Neptune orbits three times. The dwarf planet Pluto is the largest member as well as the namesake of this group. The next largest members are Orcus, (208996) 2003 AZ84, and Ixion. Plutinos are named after mythological creatures associated with the underworld.
1998 WW31, is a non-resonant trans-Neptunian object and binary system from the Kuiper belt located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 148 kilometers (92 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 18 November 1998, by American astronomer Marc Buie and Robert Millis at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States. In December 2000, a minor-planet moon, designated S/2000 (1998 WW31) 1 with a diameter of 123 kilometers (76 miles), was discovered in its orbit. After Charon in 1978, it was the first of nearly 100 satellites since discovered in the outer Solar System.
53311 Deucalion (provisional designation 1999 HU11) is a trans-Neptunian object from the classical Kuiper belt, with a diameter of approximately 130–210 kilometers (81–130 miles), located in the outermost region of the Solar System. The cubewano belongs to the cold population and was discovered on 18 April 1999, by the Deep Ecliptic Survey at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States. It was named after Deucalion, from Greek mythology.
(119070) 2001 KP77 (provisional designation 2001 KP77) is a resonant trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper belt, a circumstellar disc located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 23 May 2001, by American astronomer Marc Buie at the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile. The object is locked in a 4:7 orbital resonance with Neptune. It has a red surface color and measures approximately 176 kilometers (110 miles) in diameter. As of 2021, it has not been named.
(208996) 2003 AZ84 (provisional designation 2003 AZ84) is a trans-Neptunian object with a possible moon located in the outer regions of the Solar System. It is approximately 940 kilometers across its longest axis, as it has an elongated shape. It belongs to the plutinos – a group of minor planets named after its largest member Pluto – as it orbits in a 2:3 resonance with Neptune in the Kuiper belt. It is the third-largest known plutino, after Pluto and Orcus. It was discovered on 13 January 2003, by American astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown during the NEAT survey using the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory.
(15875) 1996 TP66 (provisional designation 1996 TP66) is a resonant trans-Neptunian object of the plutino population, located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 154 kilometers (96 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 October 1996, by astronomers Jane Luu, David C. Jewitt and Chad Trujillo at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, in the United States. The very reddish RR-type with a highly eccentric orbit has been near its perihelion around the time of its discovery. This minor planet was numbered in 2000 and has since not been named. It is probably not a dwarf planet candidate.
(118228) 1996 TQ66 (provisional designation 1996 TQ66) is a resonant trans-Neptunian object of the plutino population in the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 8 October 1996, by American astronomers Jun Chen, David Jewitt, Chad Trujillo, and Jane Luu, using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii. The very red object measures approximately 185 kilometers (110 miles) in diameter. As of 2021, it has not been named.
(118378) 1999 HT11 (provisional designation 1999 HT11) is a trans-Neptunian object from the outermost region of the Solar System, locked in a 4:7 orbital resonance with Neptune. It was discovered on 17 April 1999, by astronomers at the Kitt Peak Observatory, Arizona, in the United States. The very red object measures approximately 134 kilometers (83 miles) in diameter. As of 2021, it has not been named.
(91205) 1998 US43 (provisional designation 1998 US43) is a resonant trans-Neptunian object of the plutino group, located in the Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the Solar System. The rather bluish body measures approximately 111 kilometers (69 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1998, by American astronomer Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in the United States. It is probably not a dwarf planet candidate.
(55638) 2002 VE95 (provisional designation 2002 VE95) is a trans-Neptunian object from the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 14 November 2002, by astronomers with the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States. This resonant trans-Neptunian object is a member of the plutino population, locked in a 2:3 resonance with Neptune. The object is likely of primordial origin with a heterogeneous surface and a notably reddish color (RR) attributed to the presence of methanol and tholins. It has a poorly defined rotation period of 6.8 hours and measures approximately 250 kilometers (160 miles) in diameter, too small to be a dwarf planet candidate. As of 2021, it has not yet been named.
1999 TR11, is a resonant trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. The reddish plutino measures approximately 93 kilometers (58 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 9 October 1999, by American astronomer Scott Sheppard at the Mauna Kea Observatories with the University of Hawaii's 2.2-meter telescope.
(523645) 2010 VK201 (provisional designation 2010 VK201) is a trans-Neptunian object and member of the classical Kuiper belt, approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 November 2010, by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States. It has a rotation period of 7.6 hours. It was numbered in September 2018 and remains unnamed.
(523674) 2013 MA12 (provisional designation 2013 MA12) is a classical trans-Neptunian object and dwarf planet candidate from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 340 kilometers (210 miles) in diameter. The cubewano belongs to the hot population. It was discovered on 26 July 2011, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States.
(505448) 2013 SA100, provisional designation 2013 SA100 and also known as o3l79, is a trans-Neptunian object from the classical Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 5 August 2013, by astronomer with the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, in the United States. The classical Kuiper belt object belongs to the hot population and is a weak dwarf planet candidate, approximately 260 kilometers (160 miles) in diameter.
(523702) 2014 HW199 (provisional designation 2014 HW199) is a trans-Neptunian object from the classical Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 30 January 2011, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States. The classical Kuiper belt object is also a dwarf planet candidate, as it measures approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) in diameter.
(523684) 2014 CQ23 (provisional designation 2014 CQ23) is a trans-Neptunian object and cubewano from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 13 March 2011, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States. The classical Kuiper belt object belongs to the hot population and is a dwarf planet candidate, as it measures approximately 330 kilometers (210 miles) in diameter.
(523687) 2014 DF143 (provisional designation 2014 DF143) is a trans-Neptunian object and cubewano from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 12 April 2011, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States. The classical Kuiper belt object belongs to the hot population and is a dwarf planet candidate, as it measures approximately 350 kilometers (220 miles) in diameter.
(505624) 2014 GU53 (provisional designation 2014 GU53) is a trans-Neptunian object and cubewano from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 8 April 2014, by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States. The classical Kuiper belt object belongs to the hot population and is a dwarf planet candidate, as it measures approximately 330 kilometers (210 miles) in diameter.
(516977) 2012 HZ84 (provisional designation 2012 HZ84) is a small trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper belt located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 74 kilometers (46 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 April 2012, by a team of astronomers using one of the Magellan Telescopes in Chile during the New Horizons KBO Search in order to find a potential flyby target for the New Horizons spacecraft. In December 2017, this classical Kuiper belt object was imaged by the spacecraft from afar at a record distance from Earth.