(127546) 2002 XU93

Trans-Neptunian object and centaur February 2018 yes (127546) 2002 XU 93 #C2E0FF (127546) 2002 XU93 hst.jpg Hubble Space Telescope image of 2002 XU 93 taken in 2009 M. W. Buie Kitt Peak National Obs. 4 December 2002 (127546) 2002 XU 93 TNOcentaurdistantdamocloid 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) 3 8.10 yr (2,957 days) 113.59 AU 21.003 AU 67.299 AU 0.6879 552.10 yr (201,654 d) 6.1786° 0.0018 ms / day 77.954° 90.404° 28.135° 1.1670 164 km (measured)170 50 km180 km (radiometric) 0.0380.040 0.0300.04 (radiometric) BB–BRB–R 1.2 0.0223 7.98.0 (127546) 2002 XU 93 is a trans-Neptunian object and centaur on a highly inclined and eccentric orbit in the outer region of the Solar System. It measures approximately 170 km mi us in diameter and is one of few objects with such an unusual orbit. It was discovered on 4 December 2002, by American astronomer Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States. Orbit and classification 2002 XU 93 orbits the Sun at a distance of 21–114 AU once every 552 years and 1 month (201,654 days; semi-major axis of 67.3 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.69 and an inclination of 78° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Kitt Peak in December 2002. This object belongs to the short-lived population of centaurs. Generically, it is also classified as a trans-Neptunian object as its semi-major axis is larger than Neptune's 30.1 AU. Due to this highly inclined and eccentric orbit, and with a Tisserand's parameter of only 1.167, its cometary-like orbit resembles that of the damocloid and extended-centaur population. It is one of few objects with and inclination above 60° and a perihelion below 15 AU, along with the first discovered 2008 KV 42. Physical characteristics Spectrum and brightness 2002 XU 93 has a BB–BR taxonomy type. It shows only a moderately red surface with a spectral gradient similar to the known comets, extinct comets, Jupiter trojans, Neptune trojans, irregular satellites and damocloids. With a B–R magnitude of 1.2,23 the difference between the blue and red filter magnitude, it is still redder than the spectrum of the Sun (which is 1.02 mag). It has an absolute magnitude of 8.0. Diameter and albedo According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, 2002 XU 93 measures 170 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.04. Johnston's Archive gives a mean-diameter of 164 km mi us and albedo of 0.038 from various measurement, while astronomer Michael Brown gives an albedo of 0.04 and a diameter of 180 km mi us from radiometric observations, listing an absolute magnitude of 7.9. Due to its small size, Brown does not consider it to be a dwarf planet candidate, grouping it into the "probably not" category of his classification scheme (also see list of candidates). Rotation period As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of this object has been obtained from photometric observations. The object's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown. Numbering and naming This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 14 March 2006 (M.P.C. 56238). It has not yet received an official name. References 30em 2011-01-08 last obs. JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 127546 (2002 XU93) https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2127546 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 23 February 2018 127546 (2002 XU93) Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=127546 23 February 2018 MPC database query Minor Planet Center http://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_by_properties?perihelion_distance_min=15&inclination_min=60 23 February 2018 MPC/MPO/MPS Archive Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html 23 February 2018 6 James M. Bauer Tommy Grav Erin Blauvelt A. K. Mainzer Joseph R. Masiero Rachel Stevenson Emily Kramer Yan R. Fernández C. M. Lisse Roc M. Cutri Paul R. Weissman John W. Dailey Frank J. Masci Russel Walker Adam Waszczak Carrie R. Nugent Karen J. Meech Andrew Lucas George Pearman Ashlee Wilkins Jessica Watkins Shrinivas Kulkarni Edward L. Wright WISE Team PTF Team August 2013 Centaurs and Scattered Disk Objects in the Thermal Infrared: Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE Observations The Astrophysical Journal 773 1 11 2013ApJ...773...22B 10.1088/0004-637X/773/1/22 1306.1862 51139703 List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/t_centaurs.html 23 February 2018 127546 23 February 2018 List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects Johnston's Archive 30 December 2017 Johnston Wm. Robert http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/tnoslist.html 23 February 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 23 February 2018 Buie Marc W. Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 127546 SwRI (Space Science Department) http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~buie/kbo/astrom/127546.html 23 February 2018 Sheppard Scott S. April 2010 The Colors of Extreme Outer Solar System Objects The Astronomical Journal 139 4 1394–1405 2010AJ....139.1394S 10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1394 1001.3674 53545974 External links Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info https://web.archive.org/web/20171216050541/http://www.minorplanet.info/lightcurvedatabase.html 16 December 2017 ) Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (125001)-(130000) – Minor Planet Center 2127546 127546 (127546) 2002 XU 93 Category:Centaurs (small Solar System bodies) Category:Damocloids Category:Discoveries by Marc Buie 20021204