(15875) 1996 TP66

Resonant trans-Neptunian object November 2018 yes (15875) 1996 TP 66 #C2E0FF File:AnimatedOrbitOf158751996TP66.gif Orbital diagram with 1996 TP 66 being well inside the orbit of Neptune J. X. LuuD. C. JewittC. Trujillo Mauna Kea Obs. 11 October 1996 (15875) 1996 TP 66 TNOplutinodistant 9 June 2026 (JD 2461200.5) 2 24.25 yr (8,858 d) 52.955 AU 26.457 AU 39.706 AU 0.3337 250.21 yr (91,387 d) 37.111° 0.0039 ms / day 5.6803° 316.83° 76.181° 154 34 km 0.074 RRB–V 1.050V–R 0.660V–I 1.310 21.6 6.79 0.337.07.397.51 0.09 (15875) 1996 TP 66 is a resonant trans-Neptunian object of the plutino population, located in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 154 km mi off 2 us 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 due to its small size. Orbit and classification vertical left 220 Plutino 1966TP66 20000y.jpg 1996TP66 Distance to sun.jpg Plutino Resonance: motion of 1996 TP 66 (red) and Pluto (grey) in a rotating frame with Neptune held stationary (equal to its orbital period) Distance to the Sun for 1996 TP 66 (orange) Pluto (blue), and Neptune (pink) over a 1,000 year period 1996 TP 66 belongs to the dynamical population of plutinos, named after its largest member, Pluto. Plutinos are resonant trans-Neptunian objects in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune, which means that they orbit the Sun exactly twice while Neptune orbits the Sun three times. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 26.3–52.0 AU once every 244 years and 10 months (89,435 days; semi-major axis of 39.14 AU). Its orbit has a notably high eccentricity of 0.33 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. Among the plutinos, 1996 TP 66 has one of the most elliptical orbits, with a perihelion almost halfway between Uranus (19.2 AU) and Neptune (30.1 AU). The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Mauna Kea in October 1996. Calculations by the Minor Planet Center in 1997 showed that the eccentric orbit of 1996 TP 66 comes within 6.9 AU of Uranus and stays more than 22.6 AU from Neptune over a 14,000-year period centered on the present. Inside Neptune's orbit In 2000, this object came closest to the Sun (perihelion) at 26.3 AU, and has since moved away to a distance of 29.2 AU by the end of 2018. This means that this small plutino is still well inside the orbit of Neptune which has a semi-major axis of 30.1 AU. Like Pluto, this plutino spends part of its orbit closer to the Sun than Neptune. Like all resonant trans-Neptunian objects its orbit is dominated by Neptune. Simulations by the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES) show that over the next 10 million years 1996 TP 66 can acquire a perihelion distance (qmin) as small as 25.9 AU. Objects like the plutinos Huya and 120216 2004 EW 95 are also currently inside the orbit of Neptune. Numbering and naming This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 26 July 2000 and received the number 15875 15875 in the minor planet catalog (M.P.C. 40993). As of 2025, it has not been named. Physical characteristics 1996 TP 66 has a RR taxonomic class, with "very red" surface in the visible (rather than a "neutral" or "grey-blue" one for objects of the BB class) and a flat featureless infrared spectrum. In 2015, Irina Belskaya published the following color indices: B–V (1.050), V–R (0.660) and V–I (1.310). The resulting B–R magnitude is 1.71. These indices agree with the results obtained by the Herschel Space Observatory (Mommert): B–V (1.030), V–R (0.660) and V–I (1.320), and also agree with previous measurements by Olivier Hainaut: B–V (1.031), V–R (0.655) and V–I (1.324), as well as B–V (0.984), V–R (0.654) and V–I (11.337) from in 2012 and 2002, respectively. The numerous results are summarized at the Small Body Data Ferret. Diameter and albedo According to the survey carried out by the Herschel Space Telescope using its PACS instrument, 1996 TP 66 measures 154.0 28.8 -33.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.074 0.063 -0.031. The results supersedes a previous study that gave a much larger diameter of 350 kilometers with a lower albedo of 0.03. According to Michael Brown, it is "probably not" a dwarf planet candidate, due to its relatively small diameter estimated at 158 kilometers. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.10 and derives a diameter of 139.81 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 7.39. Rotation period 1996 TP 66 was part of a rotational lightcurve study which was published in the journal Nature in 1999. The photometric observations gave a brightness variation of no more than 0.12 magnitude, which is indicative of a rather spherical shape. As of 2018, the body's rotation period and pole remain unknown. References 30em 2021-01-11 last obs. JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 15875 (1996 TP66) https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2015875 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 8 July 2026 15875 (1996 TP66) Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=15875 6 November 2018 MPC/MPO/MPS Archive Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html 6 November 2018 List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects Johnston's Archive 7 October 2018 Johnston Wm. Robert http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/tnoslist.html 6 November 2018 How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system? California Institute of Technology Brown Michael E. http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/dps.html 6 November 2018 Asteroid (15875) 1996 TP66 Small Bodies Data Ferret https://sbntools.psi.edu/ferret/SimpleSearch/results.action?targetName=15875 6 November 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210726/https://sbntools.psi.edu/ferret/SimpleSearch/results.action?targetName=15875 6 November 2018 dead Asteroid (15875) 1996TP66 – Ephemerides AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site https://newton.spacedys.com/astdys/index.php?pc=1.1.3.0&n=15875 6 November 2018 MPEC 1997-N03: 1996 TP66 2 July 1997 Minor Planet Center http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/J97/J97N03.html 6 November 2018 Marc W. Buie Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for (15875) Southwest Research Institute http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~buie/kbo/astrom/15875.html 6 November 2018 6 A. Doressoundiram N. Peixinho A. Moullet S. Fornasier M. A. Barucci J.-L. Beuzit C. Veillet December 2007 The Meudon Multicolor Survey (2MS) of Centaurs and Trans-Neptunian Objects: From Visible to Infrared Colors The Astronomical Journal 134 6 2186–2199 2007AJ....134.2186D 10.1086/522783 free K. M. Barkume M. E. Brown E. L. Schaller January 2008 Near-Infrared Spectra of Centaurs and Kuiper Belt Objects The Astronomical Journal 135 1 55–67 2008AJ....135...55B 10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/55 free 15875 6 November 2018 6 J. A. Stansberry D. P. Cruikshank W. G. Grundy J. L. Margot J. P. Emery Y. R. Fernandez G. H. Rieke August 2005 Albedos, Diameters (and a Density) of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects American Astronomical Society 37 737 2005DPS....37.5205S 6 M. Mommert A. W. Harris C. Kiss A. Pál P. Santos-Sanz J. Stansberry A. Delsanti E. Vilenius T. G. Müller N. Peixinho E. Lellouch N. Szalai F. Henry R. Duffard S. Fornasier P. Hartogh M. Mueller J. L. Ortiz S. Protopapa M. Rengel A. Thirouin May 2012 TNOs are cool: A survey of the trans-Neptunian region. V. Physical characterization of 18 Plutinos using Herschel-PACS observations Astronomy and Astrophysics 541 17 2012A&A...541A..93M 10.1051/0004-6361/201118562 1202.3657 119253817 W. Romanishin S. C. Tegler March 1999 Rotation rates of Kuiper-belt objects from their light curves Nature 398 6723 129–132 1999Natur.398..129R 10.1038/18168 4313184 O. R. Hainaut H. Boehnhardt S. Protopapa October 2012 Colours of minor bodies in the outer solar system. II. A statistical analysis revisited Astronomy and Astrophysics 546 20 2012A&A...546A.115H 10.1051/0004-6361/201219566 1209.1896 54776793 Irina N. Belskaya Maria A. Barucci Marcello Fulchignoni Anatolij N. Dovgopol April 2015 Updated taxonomy of trans-neptunian objects and centaurs: Influence of albedo Icarus 250 482–491 2015Icar..250..482B 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.12.004 O. R. Hainaut A. C. Delsanti July 2002 Colors of Minor Bodies in the Outer Solar System. A statistical analysis Astronomy and Astrophysics 389 2 641–664 2002A&A...389..641H 10.1051/0004-6361:20020431 free External links List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects, Johnston's Archive List of Transneptunian Objects, Minor Planet Center MPEC, Minor Planet Electronic Circular (MPEC 2009-A63), Minor Planet Center, 13 Jan. 2009 Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for (15875), Marc Buie, Southwest Research Institute 15875 (15874) 1996 TL66 15875 (15875) 1996 TP 66 (15876) 1996 VO38 015875 Category:Discoveries by Jane Luu Category:Discoveries by David C. Jewitt Category:Discoveries by Chad Trujillo 19961011 015875