(55636) 2002 TX300
2002 TX300 (apparent magnitude 19.4) as viewed with a 24" telescope
|
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Palomar Mountain/NEAT (644) |
| Discovery date | 15 October 2002 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | (55636) 2002 TX300 |
|
Cubewano (MPC) Extended (DES) |
|
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 2 | |
| Observation arc | 22380 days (61.27 yr) |
| Aphelion | 48.365 AU (7.2353 Tm) |
| Perihelion | 37.8672 AU (5.66485 Tm) |
| 43.116 AU (6.4501 Tm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.12174 |
| 283.12 yr (103408 d) | |
| 73.7618° | |
| 0° 0m 12.533s / day | |
| Inclination | 25.87838° |
| 324.6984° | |
| 338.958° | |
| Earth MOID | 36.8628 AU (5.51460 Tm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 32.8172 AU (4.90938 Tm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
143±5 km (occultation) <320.6+125.2 −103.4 km (Spitzer two-band thermal model) |
| Mass | ~ 1.2×1019 kg (assumed) |
| 8.12 h (0.338 d) | |
|
Sidereal rotation period
|
0.504 d (12.101 h) |
|
0.88+0.15 −0.06 >0.173+0.203 −0.083 (Spitzer) |
|
| Temperature | < 41 K |
| (Neutral) B–V=0.66, V–R=0.36 B0–V0=0.869 |
|
| 19.4 | |
| 3.4 | |
(55636) 2002 TX300 is a bright Kuiper belt object in the outer Solar System estimated to be about 286 kilometres (178 mi) in diameter. It is a large member of the Haumea family that was discovered on October 15, 2002 by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program.
2002 TX300 is a classical Kuiper belt object with an absolute magnitude between that of 50000 Quaoar and 20000 Varuna. 2002 TX300 has the most eccentric and inclined orbit of the three.
A variability of the visual brightness was also detected which could fit to 7.9 h or 15.8 h rotational period (the distinction between single or double-peaked curved could not be made with confidence). The changes in brightness are quite close to the error margin and could also be due to an irregular shape.
The diagrams to the left show polar and ecliptic views of the orbits of the two cubewanos. The perihelia (q) and the aphelia (Q) are marked with the dates of passage. The present positions (as of April 2006) are marked with the spheres, illustrating relative sizes and differences in albedo (both objects appear neutral in the visible spectrum).
(55636) 2002 TX300 is classified as a classical Kuiper belt object and follows an orbit very similar to that of Haumea: highly inclined (26°) and moderately eccentric (e ~0.12), far from Neptune’s perturbations (perihelion at ~37 AU). Other mid-sized cubewanos follow similar orbits as well, notably 2002 UX25 and 2002 AW197.
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