, also written as 2007 TG422, is 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...

 with a perihelion

Apsis

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...

 distance of 35.5 AU

Astronomical unit

An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....

, which is just inside the influence of 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...

, and a aphelion distance similar to Sedna's.

Orbit

came to perihelion

Apsis

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 2005 at a heliocentric distance of 35.5 AU, and is currently 36.0 AU from the Sun.

Given the orbital eccentricity

Orbital eccentricity

The orbital eccentricity of an astronomical body is the amount by which its orbit deviates from a perfect circle, where 0 is perfectly circular, and 1.0 is a parabola, and no longer a closed orbit...

 of this object, different epochs

Epoch (astronomy)

In astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time used as a reference point for some time-varying astronomical quantity, such as celestial coordinates, or elliptical orbital elements of a celestial body, where these are subject to perturbations and vary with time...

 can generate quite different heliocentric unperturbed two-body

Two-body problem

In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is to determine the motion of two point particles that interact only with each other. Common examples include a satellite orbiting a planet, a planet orbiting a star, two stars orbiting each other , and a classical electron orbiting an atomic nucleus In...

 best-fit

Curve fitting

Curve fitting is the process of constructing a curve, or mathematical function, that has the best fit to a series of data points, possibly subject to constraints. Curve fitting can involve either interpolation, where an exact fit to the data is required, or smoothing, in which a "smooth" function...

 solutions to the aphelion distance (maximum distance) of this object. With a 2007 epoch the object had an approximate period of about 10,611 years with aphelion at 930 AU. But using a 2011 epoch shows a period of about 13,304 years with aphelion at 1087 AU. For objects at such high eccentricity, the Suns barycentric coordinates

Barycentric coordinates (astronomy)

In astronomy, barycentric coordinates are non-rotating coordinates with origin at the center of mass of two or more bodies.The barycenter is the point between two objects where they balance each other. For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other...

 are more stable than heliocentric coordinates. Using JPL Horizons with an observed orbital arc

Arc (geometry)

In geometry, an arc is a closed segment of a differentiable curve in the two-dimensional plane; for example, a circular arc is a segment of the circumference of a circle...

 of only 2 years, the barycentric orbital elements for epoch 2008-May-14 generate a semi-major axis

Semi-major axis

The major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter, a line that runs through the centre and both foci, its ends being at the widest points of the shape...

 of 501 AU and a period of 11,200 years. For comparison dwarf-planet candidate Sedna

90377 Sedna

90377 Sedna is a trans-Neptunian object discovered in 2003, which was about three times as far from the Sun as Neptune. For most of its orbit it is even further from the Sun, with its aphelion estimated at 960 astronomical units , making it one of the most distant known objects in the Solar System...

 has a barycentric semi-major axis of 506 AU and a period of 11,400 years. Both 2010 EC46, and take longer than Sedna and to orbit the Sun using barycentric coordinates.

has only been observed 32 times over two years and has an orbit quality of 1.

Assuming a generic trans-Neptunian albedo of 0.09, is about 270 km in diameter. But since the true albedo is unknown and it has an absolute magnitude (H) of 6.1, it could be anywhere from about 160 to 360 km in diameter.

See also

• (87269) 2000 OO67
  (87269) 2000 OO67
  ' is a small trans-Neptunian object discovered by Deep Ecliptic Survey in 2000.It is remarkable for its highly eccentric orbit. At aphelion it is over 1,000 AU from the Sun and, with a perihelion of 21 AU, almost crosses the orbit of Uranus at closest approach. is probably composed of rock and...
  
  
• 2002 RN109
• 2005 VX3
• 2006 SQ372
  2006 SQ372
  ' is a small trans-Neptunian object discovered through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by Andrew Becker, Andrew W. Puckett, and Jeremy Martin Kubica on images first taken on September 27, 2006 ....
  
  
• 2010 EC46

External links

• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris