2008 KV42
The orbit of 2008 KV42 is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic.
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|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Brett J. Gladman, John J. Kavelaars, Jean-Marc Petit |
| Discovery date | May 31, 2008 |
| Designations | |
|
Trans-Neptunian objects |
|
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 2016-Jan-13 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Observation arc | 5.35 years |
| Aphelion | 61.591 AU (9,213 Gm) 61.9 AU (barycentric) |
| Perihelion | 21.108 AU (3,157 Gm) |
| 41.349 AU (6,186 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4895 |
| 265.90 yr | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
4.06 km/s |
| 333.09° | |
| Inclination | 103.45° |
| 260.96° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 50–90 km |
| Temperature | ~41 K |
| 23.4 | |
| 8.8 | |
Trans-Neptunian objects
Centaur (DES)
2008 KV42 (nicknamed Drac) is the first trans-Neptunian object (TNO) with a retrograde orbit to be discovered. Its 103° inclination and its retrograde motion suggest that it is the missing link between its source in the Hills cloud and Halley-type comets, thus providing further insight into the evolution of the outer Solar System. The object measures no more than 90 km across and with a semi-major axis of 41 AU takes about 266 years to complete an orbit around the Sun.
The discovery was announced on July 16, 2008, by the Canada France Ecliptic Plane Survey team led by Brett Gladman. An official name has not been chosen because the object has not been numbered; the discovery team nicknamed 2008 KV42 "Drac" after Count Dracula.
The discovery of 2008 KV42 was announced on July 16, 2008 by the Canada France Ecliptic Plane Survey team led by Brett Gladman from the University of British Columbia. The announcement was made during the "Asteroids, Comets, Meteors" meeting held in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a Minor Planet Electronic Circular on the same day and a IAU Circular on July 18. The discovery was made using images obtained on May 31 from the 3.5 meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, followed by further observations until July 8 from the Whipple Observatory and Cerro Tololo.
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