2002 RN109
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
| Discovery date | 6 September 2002 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2002 RN109 |
| TNO[2] · damocloid[3] unusual[4] · distant[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 4 | |
| Observation arc | 80 days |
| Aphelion | 1370.26 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6972 AU |
| 686.48 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.9961 |
| 17,897 yr | |
| 0.4576° | |
| 0° 0m 0.198s / day | |
| Inclination | 58.009° |
| 170.47° | |
| 212.43° | |
| TJupiter | 1.085 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 4 km (est.)[3] |
| 0.09 (assumed)[3] | |
| 15.3[1][2] | |
2002 RN109 is a trans-Neptunian object and damocloid on a highly eccentric, cometary-like orbit. It was first observed on 6 September 2002, by astronomers of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project at its ETS near Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[1] The unusual object is approximately 4 kilometers (2 miles) in diameter.[3] It has the second-highest orbital eccentricity of any known minor planet, after 2005 VX3.[5]
Description
2002 RN109 may be a dormant comet that has not been seen outgassing. In the past it may have made closer approaches to the Sun that could have removed most near-surface volatiles. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–1,091 AU once every 12,783 years (semi-major axis of 546.7 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.9951 and an inclination of 58° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc began with a precovery observation at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site on 16 August 2002, or three weeks prior to its first observation.[1] The observation arc is only 80 days long. The object has not been observed since November 2002, about 2 months before it came to perihelion 2.7 AU from the Sun.[2] During perihelion passage the object was 2.9 AU from Earth.
2002 RN109 belongs to the dynamical group of damocloids due to its low Tisserand parameter (TJupiter of 1.0820).[2] It is also a Jupiter-, Saturn-, Uranus-, and Neptune-crosser. The object has the seventh-largest heliocentric semi-major axis and aphelion of all known minor planets, while its extreme eccentricity brings it well within the orbit of Jupiter when at perihelion.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "2002 RN109". Minor Planet Center. 38 total observations over interval: 2002 08 16.36906 – 2002 11 04.41631
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2002 RN109)" (2002-11-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Johnston, Wm. Robert (7 October 2018). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ↑ "List Of Other Unusual Objects". Minor Planet Center. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: Asteroids and a > 100 (AU)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 2014-10-15. (Epoch defined at will change every 6 months or so)
External links
- 2002 RN109 at the JPL Small-Body DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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