(505478) 2013 UT15 is an extreme trans-Neptunian object from the scattered disc, located in the outermost regions of the Solar System, approximately 260 kilometers (160 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 August 2013, by astronomers of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii, United States.[4]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | OSSOS |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 August 2013 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (505478) 2013 UT15 |
Alternative designations | o3L83[2] |
Minor planet category | TNO[1] · SDO[3] detached · distant[4] |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 4 | |
| Observation arc | 4.08 yr (1,489 days) |
| Aphelion | 347.97 AU |
| Perihelion | 43.853 AU |
Semi-major axis | 195.91 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.7762 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 2742.19 yr (1,001,586 days) |
Mean anomaly | 353.50° |
Mean motion | 0° 0m 1.44s / day |
| Inclination | 10.682° |
Longitude of ascending node | 191.97° |
Argument of perihelion | 252.40° |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 243 km estimate)[3] 260 km (est. at 0.08)[5] 340 km estimate)[6] |
Geometric albedo | 0.04 (estimate)[6] 0.09 (assumed)[3] |
Spectral type | BB (estimate)[6] |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.2951[1] · 6.4[6] |
With a semi-major axis of 196 AU, 2013 UT15 orbits the Sun at a distance of 43.9–348 AU once every 2,742 years. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.78 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It has a similar orbit to (148209) 2000 CR105, except for a smaller inclination.
2013 UT15 belongs to a small number of detached objects with perihelion distances of 30 AU or more, and semi-major axes of 150 AU or more.[7] Such objects can not reach such orbits without some perturbing object, which lead to the speculation of planet nine.
The object is estimated to have a bluish spectra (BB).[6]
2013 UT15 has been estimated to measure 243 and 340 kilometers in diameter, based on an assumed albedo of 0.09 and 0.04, respectively.[3][6] A generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion gives a mean-diameter of 260 kilometers,[5] using with a typical albedo of 0.08 and a published absolute magnitude of 6.2951.[1]
2013 UT15 was numbered (505478) by the Minor Planet Center on 4 November 2017 (M.P.C. 107067).[8] As of 2017, this minor planet has not received a name.[4]
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