Astronomy:2003 SS422

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2003 SS422
Discovery[1]
Discovered byCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date28 September 2003
Designations
2003 SS422
Minor planet categoryTNO[2] · extreme[3]
distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 5 July 2021 (JD 2459400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3[2]
Observation arc14.92 yr (5,448 days)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}356.788 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}39.574 AU
198.181 AU
Eccentricity0.8003140
Orbital period2790 yr
Mean anomaly1.770°
Mean motion0° 0m 1.272s / day
Inclination16.773°
Longitude of ascending node150.949°
206.824°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter163 km (est. at 0.09)[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)7.04[4]


2003 SS422 is a trans-Neptunian object located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 28 September 2003, by American astronomers at the Cerro Tololo Observatory in La Serena, Chile, and estimated to measure approximately 168 kilometers (104 miles) in diameter.[1][3]

Due to the object's high eccentricity and large perihelia, 2003 SS422 is an extreme trans-Neptunian object from the scattered disc (ESDO).[3] It was a lost minor planet until it was recovered in June 2021.[4]

Orbit and classification

Based on an observation arc of 14.9 years with 26 observations in total, 2003 SS422 orbits the Sun at a distance of 39.6–356.8 AU once every 2790 years (1,019,048 days; semi-major axis of 198.2 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.80 and an inclination of 17° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]

(As of 2021), 2003 SS422 belongs to a small number of 21 high-eccentricity and large-perihelia objects (q > 38 AU) with a semi-major axis of larger than 150 AU,[5] which are the defining orbital parameters of the group of extreme scattered disc object, or ESDO. It is thought that objects cannot reach such orbits without some perturbing object outside the eight planets, which has led to the speculation of Planet Nine.

References

External links