2005 VX3

2005 VX3
Discovery[1]
Discovered by Mt. Lemmon Survey
Discovery date 2005-11-01
Designations
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc 81 days
Aphelion 3080 ±643 AU (heliocentric)
~2049 AU (barycentric)[lower-alpha 1]
Perihelion 4.1316 AU (618.08 Gm)
1542 ±322 AU (heliocentric)
~1026 AU (barycentric)[lower-alpha 1]
Eccentricity 0.99745
60556 ±18970 a
~32900 yr[lower-alpha 1]
0.055248°
Inclination 112.389°
255.245°
196.550°
Earth MOID 3.1754 AU (475.03 Gm)
Jupiter MOID .853052 AU (127.6148 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 7 km (assumed)[4]
27
14.1[3]

    2005 VX3 is the minor planet with the largest known heliocentric semi-major axis and aphelion.[5] Additionally its perihelion lies within the orbit of Jupiter, which means it also has the largest orbital eccentricity of any known minor planet. 2005 VX3 has a barycentric semi-major axis of ~1026 AU.[6][lower-alpha 1] 2012 DR30 has a larger barycentric semi-major axis. The epoch of January 2016 was when 2005 VX3 had its largest heliocentric semi-major axis.

    2005 VX3 has a short observation arc of 81 days and does not have a well constrained orbit.[3] It has not been observed since January 2006, when it came to perihelion, 4.1 AU from the Sun.[3] It 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. The current orbit crosses the ecliptic just inside Jupiter's orbit and has a Jupiter-MOID of 0.8 AU.[3]

    As of 2016, it has an apparent magnitude of ~27 and is 22 AU from the Sun. It would require one of the largest telescopes in the world for any more follow-up observations.

    Different Epochs
    Epoch Heliocentric
    Aphelion (Q)
    (AU)
    Barycentric 1950 2710[lower-alpha 1]
    2012-09-30 1914[8]
    2015-06-27 2563[9]
    2016-01-13 3235[3]
    Barycentric 2050 2049[lower-alpha 1]

    Comparison

    Sedna compared to some other very distant orbiting bodies. Including 90377 Sedna, 2015 DB216 (orbit wrong), 2000 OO67, 2004 VN112, 2005 VX3, 2006 SQ372, 2007 TG422, 2007 DA61, 2009 MS9, 2010 GB174, 2010 NV1, 2010 BK118, 2012 DR30, 2012 VP113, 2013 BL76, 2013 AZ60, 2013 RF98, 2015 ER61

    See also

    Notes

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Given the orbital eccentricity of this object, different epochs can generate quite different heliocentric unperturbed two-body best-fit solutions to the semi-major axis and orbital period. For objects at such high eccentricity, the Sun's barycentric coordinates are more stable than heliocentric coordinates.[7] Using JPL Horizons, the barycentric semi-major axis is approximately 1026 AU.[6]

    References

    1. "MPEC 2005-V58 : 2005 VX3". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2005-11-08. Retrieved 2014-03-05. (K05V03X)
    2. "2005 VX3 Orbit". IAU minor planet center. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2005 VX3)" (last observation: 2006-01-21; arc: 81 days). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
    4. "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. 2005-11-08. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
    5. "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: Asteroids and a > 100 (AU)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 2014-03-06. (Epoch defined at will change every 6 months or so)
    6. 1 2 Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for 2005 VX3". Retrieved 2014-03-06. (Solution using the Solar System Barycenter and barycentric coordinates. Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
    7. Kaib, Nathan A.; Becker, Andrew C.; Jones, R. Lynne; Puckett, Andrew W.; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Dilday, Benjamin; Frieman, Joshua A.; Oravetz, Daniel J.; Pan, Kaike; Quinn, Thomas; Schneider, Donald P.; Watters, Shannon (2009). "2006 SQ372: A Likely Long-Period Comet from the Inner Oort Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 695 (1): 268–275. arXiv:0901.1690Freely accessible. Bibcode:2009ApJ...695..268K. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/695/1/268.
    8. Archive of JPL Epoch 2012 orbital solution that has aphelion (Q)=1914 AU saved at archive is/GTBp
    9. Minor Planet Center archive of Epoch 2015 with aphelion (Q)=2563 AU

    External links


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