(65407) 2002 RP120
Encyclopedia
holds the distinction of being the most eccentric of the numbered asteroids (as of July 2004). It is also a member of the very exclusive group of retrograde asteroids, which has only two numbered members (the other one is 20461 Dioretsa
). Its classification is uncertain, as it is at once a Damocloid
(a highly eccentric, highly inclined object likely to be an extinct comet
) and a scattered-disc object
(a trans-Neptunian object
with a very eccentric orbit, probably ejected from the ecliptic
by Neptune
).
20461 Dioretsa
Dioretsa is a centaur discovered in 1999 notable for its unusual orbit, which is highly eccentric and retrograde. Its name is the word 'asteroid' spelled backwards to reflect this fact...
). Its classification is uncertain, as it is at once a Damocloid
Damocloid asteroid
Damocloids are minor planets such as 5335 Damocles and 1996 PW that have Halley family or long-period highly eccentric orbits typical of periodic comets such as Comet Halley, but without showing a cometary coma or tail....
(a highly eccentric, highly inclined object likely to be an extinct comet
Extinct comet
Extinct comets are comets that have expelled most of their volatile ice and have little left to form a tail or coma. The volatile material contained in the comet nucleus evaporates away, and all that remains is inert rock or rubble that can resemble an asteroid. Comets may go through a transition...
) and a scattered-disc object
Scattered disc
The scattered disc is a distant region of the Solar System that is sparsely populated by icy minor planets, a subset of the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects. The scattered-disc objects have orbital eccentricities ranging as high as 0.8, inclinations as high as 40°, and perihelia greater...
(a trans-Neptunian object
Trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune.The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930...
with a very eccentric orbit, probably ejected from the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
by Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
).
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java)
- Horizons Ephemeris