5145 Pholus
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
Spacewatch unaccredited: D. L. Rabinowitz |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak National Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 January 1992 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 5145 Pholus |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfoʊləs/ (foe'-ləs) |
|
Named after
|
Pholus (Greek mythology) |
| 1992 AD | |
|
Centaur Saturn crosser Uranus crosser Neptune crosser |
|
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 1 | |
| Observation arc | 31.74 yr (11,593 days) |
| Aphelion | 32.038 AU |
| Perihelion | 8.7184 AU |
| 20.378 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.5722 |
| 91.99 yr (33,601 days) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
6.01 km/s |
| 97.208° | |
| 0° 0m 38.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 24.705° |
| 119.30° | |
| 355.10° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 3.469 AU |
| Jupiter Tisserand parameter | 3.20 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
99±15 km 165.03 km (derived) 185±16 km 190 km |
|
9.977 h 9.980 h 9.982 h 9.983 h |
|
|
0.04 0.044±0.013 0.057 (assumed) 0.155±0.076 |
|
|
Tholen = Z · C RR · RR-U B−V=1.19 V−R=0.78 |
|
| 21.45 | |
| 7.1 7.198±0.056 (R) 7.63 7.64 7.68±0.28 7.78±0.09 7.83±0.12 |
|
5145 Pholus (/ˈfoʊləs/; from Greek: Φόλος) provisional designation 1992 AD, is an eccentric centaur in the outer Solar System, approximately 100 to 200 kilometers in diameter, that crosses the orbit of both Saturn and Neptune. It was discovered on 9 January 1992, by American astronomer David L. Rabinowitz (unaccredited) of UA's Spacewatch Project at Kitt Peak National Observatory, and named after the mythological creature Pholus.
The minor planet orbits the Sun at a distance of 8.7–32.0 AU once every 91 years and 12 months (33,601 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.57 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at the Australian Siding Spring Observatory in 1977, extending the centaur's observation arc by 15 years prior to its discovery. Pholus has not come within one astronomical unit of a planet since 764 BC, and will not until 5290. It is believed that Pholus originated in the Kuiper belt.
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