, also written as 2001 QF298, is 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...

 that resides in the Kuiper belt

Kuiper belt

The Kuiper belt , sometimes called the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt, is a region of the Solar System beyond the planets extending from the orbit of Neptune to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive...

. It was discovered on August 19, 2001 by Marc W. Buie

Marc W. Buie

Marc W. Buie is an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. He grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and went on to get a B.S. in Physics from Louisiana State University in 1980. After that he switched fields and earned his Ph.D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona in...

. is a plutino

Plutino

In astronomy, a plutino is a trans-Neptunian object in 2:3 mean motion resonance with Neptune. For every 2 orbits that a plutino makes, Neptune orbits 3 times. Plutinos are named after Pluto, which follows an orbit trapped in the same resonance, with the Italian diminutive suffix -ino...

, meaning that it is locked in a 3:2 orbital resonance

Orbital resonance

In celestial mechanics, an orbital resonance occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually due to their orbital periods being related by a ratio of two small integers. Orbital resonances greatly enhance the mutual gravitational influence of...

 with 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...

 much like Pluto

Pluto

Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...

. Light-curve-amplitude analysis shows only small deviations, suggesting that is a spheroid with small albedo spots and hence a dwarf planet.

Physical characteristics

In the visible light the object appears to have a neutral or slightly red color.