2005 QU182
Encyclopedia
, also written as 2005 QU182, is a trans-Neptunian object
with a bright absolute magnitude
of 3.4. This qualifies it as one of the largest dwarf-planet candidates. , Mike Brown
lists it as a highly likely dwarf planet
.
in 1971, and is currently 49 AU from the Sun.
It has been observed 49 times over 8 oppositions with precovery
images back to 1974.
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 bright absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude is the measure of a celestial object's intrinsic brightness. it is also the apparent magnitude a star would have if it were 32.6 light years away from Earth...
of 3.4. This qualifies it as one of the largest dwarf-planet candidates. , Mike Brown
Michael E. Brown
Michael E. Brown has been a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology since 2003....
lists it as a highly likely dwarf planet
Dwarf planet
A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be spherical as a result of its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite...
.
Distance
It came to perihelionApsis
An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...
in 1971, and is currently 49 AU from the Sun.
It has been observed 49 times over 8 oppositions with precovery
Precovery
Precovery is a term used in astronomy that describes the process of finding the image of an object in old archived images or photographic plates, for the purpose of calculating a more accurate orbit...
images back to 1974.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris