(
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 The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...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
centaur
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...
and Uranus
co-orbital
In astronomy, a co-orbital configuration is a configuration of two or more astronomical objects (such as asteroids, moons, or planets) orbiting at the same, or very similar, distance from their primary, i.e. they are in a 1:1 mean-motion resonan ...
, approximately in diameter, first observed on December 26, 2014, by the
Pan-STARRS survey.
[ It is the second known centaur on a ]tadpole orbit
In celestial mechanics, a horseshoe orbit is a type of co-orbital motion of a small orbiting body relative to a larger orbiting body. The osculating (instantaneous) orbital period of the smaller body remains very near that of the larger body, a ...
with Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...
, and the fourth Uranus co-orbital discovered after 83982 Crantor, and .
Description
Centaur is a temporary trojan of Uranus, the second one ( was identified first) to be confirmed as currently trapped in such a resonant state. This object may have remained as a Uranian Trojan for about 60,000 years and it can continue that way for another 80,000 years. Numerical integrations suggest that it may stay within Uranus' co-orbital zone for nearly one million years.Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
as well; therefore, this minor body is currently subjected to a three-body resonance.
See also
* 83982 Crantor
*
*
*
References
External links
Far-off asteroid caught cohabiting with Uranus around the Sun
*
Trojan minor planets
Uranus co-orbital minor planets
Centaurs (small Solar System bodies)
Discoveries by MLS
20141226
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