2011 KW48

2011 KW₄₈

Discovery
Discovery date	May 2011
Designations
Alternative names	VNH0004
Orbital characteristics[1][2]
Epoch 8 June 2011 (JD 2455720.5) (2011-05-29)
Aphelion	42.676 AU (6.3842 Tm)
Perihelion	32.368 AU (4.8422 Tm)
Semi-major axis	37.522 AU (5.6132 Tm)
Eccentricity	0.13736
Orbital period	229.84 yr (83949.94 d)
Mean anomaly	347.91°
Mean motion	0.0042883°/day
Inclination	3.6328°
Longitude of ascending node	246.15°
Argument of perihelion	46.931°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	100 ± 50 km
Apparent magnitude	~23.5
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.8

2011 KW₄₈ (also labeled VNH0004) is a Kuiper belt object. In January 2015, the New Horizons probe traveled about 75 million km (47 million miles) (0.5 AU) from it,^[3] which is too far to take high-resolution photos of the object itself, but allowed the detection of possible satellites. If 2011 KW₄₈ were 100 kilometers wide, it would appear approximately 0.11 arcseconds wide to New Horizons.

2011 KW₄₈ was only observed 12 times by the Mauna Kea (8) and Las Campanas Observatory (4) over a period of about 33.8 days between May 29 and July 2, 2011, so its current orbit is extremely uncertain. Between January 4–15, 2015, New Horizons actively observed the object.^[4]

References

1. "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for VNH0004". Southwest Research Institute. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2011 KW48)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
3. "New Horizons to Encounter KBO Ahead of Pluto Flyby". AmericaSpace.
4. Gebhardt, Chris (January 19, 2015). "New Horizons begins Pluto observations ahead of July flyby". Nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved June 7, 2015.

External links

• 2011 KW48 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  
  • Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters