(308933) 2006 SQ372

Trans-Neptunian object and highly eccentric centaur February 2018 yes (308933) 2006 SQ 372 #C2E0FF 308933-2006sq372 hst.jpg Hubble Space Telescope image of 2006 SQ 372 taken in 2009 A. C. BeckerA. W. PuckettJ. Kubica APO 27 September 2006 (308933) 2006 SQ 372 TNOcentaurdistant 24px (Astrological) 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) 1 9.86 yr (3,602 days) 1785.882 AU Tm on 24.1420436 AU Tm on 905.0119510 AU Tm on 0.9733241 27226 yr 0.1796° 0.0000 ms / day 19.496° 197.34° 122.28° 1.4692 AU Gm on 60–140 km122 km124 km 0.08 (estimate) IR-RRB–R 1.62 7.88.0 (308933) 2006 SQ 372 is a trans-Neptunian object and highly eccentric centaur on a cometary-like orbit in the outer region of the Solar System, approximately 123 km mi off us in diameter. It was discovered through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by astronomers Andrew Becker, Andrew Puckett and Jeremy Kubica on images first taken on 27 September 2006 (with precovery images dated to 13 September 2005). Orbit Orbital characteristics thumb|left|Diagram of the orbit of 2006 SQ 372 2006 SQ 372 has a highly eccentric orbit, crossing that of Neptune near perihelion but bringing it more than 1,500 AU from the Sun at aphelion. It takes about 22,500 years to orbit the barycenter of the Solar System. The large semi-major axis makes it similar to 87269 2000 OO 67 and Sedna. Perturbation The orbit of 2006 SQ 372 currently comes closer to Neptune than any of the other giant planets. More than half of the simulations of this object show that it gets too close to either Uranus or Neptune within the next 180 million years, sending it in a currently unknown direction. This makes it difficult to classify this object as only a centaur or a scattered disc object. The Minor Planet Center, which officially catalogues all trans-Neptunian objects, lists centaurs and SDOs together. (29981) 1999 TD 10 is another such object that blurs the two categories. Baricentric orbital elements aphelion (Q) = 1570 AUA a none (Heliocentric 2006 AU) semimajor =736.67 AUA a none (Heliocentric 1015 AU) period = 22,466 yrA a none (Heliocentric 32,347 yr) Given the extreme orbital eccentricity of this object, different epochs can generate quite different heliocentric unperturbed two-body best-fit solutions to the aphelion distance (maximum distance) of this object.B b none With a 2005 epoch the object had an approximate period of about 22,000 years with aphelion at 1557 AU. But using a 2011 epoch shows a period of about 32,000 years with aphelion at 2006 AU. For objects at such high eccentricity, the Sun's barycentric coordinates are more stable than heliocentric coordinates. Using JPL Horizons with an observed orbital arc of only 2.9 years, the barycentric orbital elements for epoch 2008-May-14 generate a semi-major axis of 796 AU and a period of 22,466 years. Physical characteristics With an absolute magnitude (H) of 8.1, it is estimated to be about 60 to 140 km in diameter. Michael Brown estimates that it has an albedo of 0.08 which would give a diameter of around 110 km. The object could possibly be a comet. Origin The discoverers hypothesize that the object could come from the Hills cloud, but other scientists like the California Institute of Technology's Michael Brown also consider other possibilities, including the theory "it may have formed from debris just beyond Neptune [in the Kuiper belt] and been 'kicked' into its distant orbit by a planet like Neptune or Uranus". Comparison thumb|center|500px|The orbits of Sedna, 2012 VP 113, Leleākūhonua, and other very distant objects along with the predicted orbit of Planet Nine. The three sednoids (pink) along with the red-colored extreme trans-Neptunian object (eTNO) orbits are suspected to be aligned with the hypothetical Planet Nine while the blue-colored eTNO orbits are anti-aligned. The highly elongated orbits colored brown include centaurs and damocloids with large aphelion distances over 200 AU. See also (523622) 2007 TG 422 29981 (29981) 1999 TD 10 (87269) 2000 OO 67 List of Solar System objects by greatest aphelion Notes A a none Solution using the Solar System Barycenter B b none Read osculating orbit for more details about heliocentric unperturbed two-body solutions References 30em 2015-07-25 last obs. JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 308933 (2006 SQ372) https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2308933 Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://archive.today/20121212084726/http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2006SQ372 12 December 2012 live 23 February 2018 308933 (2006 SQ372) Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=308933 23 February 2018 List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/t_centaurs.html 23 February 2018 2007-01-08 MPEC 2007-A27 : 2006 SQ372 IAU Minor Planet Center https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K07/K07A27.html 2011-05-26 Marc W. Buie Marc W. Buie 2010-09-17 using 64 of 65 observations over 5.01 years Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 308933 SwRI (Space Science Department) http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~buie/kbo/astrom/308933.html 2008-09-05 2011-01-23 Horizons output http://home.surewest.net/kheider/astro/2006SQ372Barycenter.txt Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for 2006 SQ372 2011-01-24 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120225015302/http://home.surewest.net/kheider/astro/2006SQ372Barycenter.txt 2012-02-25 (Horizons) 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 Asteroid Size Estimator CNEOS NASA/JPL https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/ast_size_est.html 23 February 2018 25 August 2008 Sky survey yields new cosmic haul BBC Dr Chris Lintott https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7580539.stm 2008-09-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20080906065424/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7580539.stm 6 September 2008 live 1999-11-11 New Object in Solar System Defies Categories Space.com Kenneth Silber http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/centaur_disc_991111.html 2008-09-07 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050921034710/http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/centaur_disc_991111.html 2005-09-21 6 Kaib Nathan A. Becker, Andrew C. Jones, R. Lynne Puckett, Andrew W. Bizyaev, Dmitry Dilday, Benjamin Frieman, Joshua A. Oravetz, Daniel J. Pan, Kaike Quinn, Thomas Schneider, Donald P. Watters, Shannon 2009 2006 SQ372: A Likely Long-Period Comet from the Inner Oort Cloud The Astrophysical Journal 695 1 268–275 0901.1690 2009ApJ...695..268K 10.1088/0004-637X/695/1/268 16987581 New "Minor Planet" Found in Solar System National Geographic News 19 August 2008 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080819-new-planet.html 2008-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20080821210844/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080819-new-planet.html 21 August 2008 dead https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2008/08/18/an-icy-wanderer-from-the-oort-cloud/ An Icy Wanderer from the Oort Cloud Paul Gilster centauri-dreams.org 18 August 2008 23 February 2018 First object seen from solar system's inner Oort cloud New Scientist 18 August 2008 https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14548-first-object-seen-from-solar-systems-inner-oort-cloud.html 2008-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20080828031020/http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14548-first-object-seen-from-solar-systems-inner-oort-cloud.html 28 August 2008 live External links MPEC 2007-A27: 2006 SQ372 Minor Planet Electronic Circulars 2007-01-08 http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/K07/K07A27.html 308933 308933 (308933) 2006 SQ 372 308933 308933 Category:Discoveries by Andrew C. Becker Category:Discoveries by Andrew W. Puckett Category:Discoveries by Jeremy Martin Kubica 308933 20060927