, also written as (145453) 2005 RR43, is a
trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has a semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (au).
Typically ...
(TNO) estimated to be about 250 km in diameter.
It was discovered on 9 September 2005 by Andrew Becker, Andrew Puckett and Jeremy Kubica at
Apache Point Observatory
The Apache Point Observatory (APO; obs. code: 705) is an astronomical observatory located in the Sacramento Mountains in Sunspot, New Mexico, United States, approximately south of Cloudcroft. The observatory is operated by New Mexico State Un ...
in
Sunspot
Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. S ...
, New Mexico.
Origin
Based on their common pattern of
IR water-ice absorptions, neutral visible spectrum,
and the clustering of their orbital elements, the other
KBOs , , and appear to be
collisional fragments broken off the
dwarf planet
A dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct orbit of the Sun, smaller than any of the eight classical planets but still a world in its own right. The prototypical dwarf planet is Pluto. The interest of dwarf planets to ...
.
Surface
The surface is covered by water ice as attested by deep absorption at 1.5 and 2
μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer ( American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Uni ...
in the
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...
spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...
and neutral (i.e. non-red) colour. Scattering models reveal that the observed water ice is, at least in a significant fraction, crystalline and
organics, detected on the surface of many TNOs, are completely absent.
These physical and orbital characteristics common with Haumea led to suggestion that is a member of the
Haumea collisional family. The object, together with other members of the family (, , and ), would be created from ice mantle ejected from the proto-Haumea as result of a collision with another large (around ) body.
See also
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References
External links
List of TNOs Minor Planet Center
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:145453
Haumea family
Classical Kuiper belt objects
2005 RR43
2005 RR43
2005 RR43
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