(
provisional designation
Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...
) is a
trans-Neptunian object and weak
dwarf-planet candidate from the
classical Kuiper belt
A classical Kuiper belt object, also called a cubewano ( "QB1-o"), is a low-eccentricity Kuiper belt object (KBO) that orbits beyond Neptune and is not controlled by an orbital resonance with Neptune. Cubewanos have orbits with semi-major a ...
in the outermost region of the
Solar System, approximately in diameter. It was first observed on 6 February 2002, by American astronomer
Marc Buie at the
Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States.
Orbit and classification
orbits the Sun at a distance of 39.4–53.1
AU once every 314 years and 6 months (114,859 days;
semi-major axis
In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the long ...
of 46.2 AU). Its orbit has an
eccentricity of 0.15 and an
inclination of 7
° with respect to the
ecliptic.
The body's
observation arc begins at Kitt Peak with its official first observation on 6 February 2002.
A 10-million-year integration of the orbit shows that it is a
Classical Kuiper belt object that does not get closer to the Sun than or further than 54 AU.
Physical characteristics
Based on an
absolute magnitude of 5.2,
and an assumed
albedo of 0.09, the ''Johnston archive'' estimates a
mean diameter of approximately ,
while astronomer
Michael Brown assumes an albedo of 0.06 and calculates a diameter of using a fainter magnitude of 5.5. Brown also characterizes the object as a "probable dwarf planet", an intermediate category in his
classification scheme ''(also see
list of candidates)''.
As of 2018, no rotational
lightcurve of this object has been obtained from
photometric observations. The object's
rotation period
The rotation period of a celestial object (e.g., star, gas giant, planet, moon, asteroid) may refer to its sidereal rotation period, i.e. the time that the object takes to complete a single revolution around its axis of rotation relative to the ...
,
pole and shape remain unknown.
Numbering and naming
This
minor planet was numbered by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
on 18 May 2019 (). As of 2019, it has not been named.
See also
*
List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun
References
External links
MPEC 2004-E32 : 2002 CZ154, 2002 CY248, 2002 CD251, 2002 XH91, 2003 FK127, 2003 FH129 ''
Minor Planet Electronic Circular'', 11 March 2004
*
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