, also written as (120178) 2003 OP32, is a
trans-Neptunian object (TNO) that resides in the
Kuiper belt
The Kuiper belt () is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times ...
. It was discovered on July 26, 2003 by
Michael E. Brown
Michael E. Brown (born June 5, 1965) is an American astronomer, who has been professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) since 2003. His team has discovered many trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), including ...
,
Chad Trujillo and
David L. Rabinowitz at
Palomar Mountain in
California.
Origin
Based on their common pattern of
infrared water-ice absorption and the clustering of their orbital elements, the other
KBOs , , and , among others, appear to be
collisional fragments broken off the
dwarf planet . The neutral color of the spectrum of these objects in the visible range evidences a lack of complex organics on the surface of these bodies that has been studied in detail for the surface of Haumea.
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References
External links
(120178) 2003 OP32 Precovery Images*
Haumea family
Classical Kuiper belt objects
2003 OP32
2003 OP32
2003 OP32
20030726
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