174567 Varda
| Discovery[2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. A. Larsen[1] |
| Discovery date | June 21, 2003 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | (174567) Varda |
| 2003 MW12 | |
| TNO (cubewano)[3] SCATEXTD[4] |
|
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 52.284 AU (7822 million km) |
| Perihelion | 39.622 AU (5927 million km) |
| 45.953 AU (6874 million km) |
|
| Eccentricity | 0.138 |
| 113779.342 d (311.51 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
4.37 km/s |
| 257.434° | |
| Inclination | 21.494° |
| 184.009° | |
| 181.811° | |
| Known satellites | 1 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 705+81 −75 km[5] |
| Mass | (2.65±0.03)×1020 kg[5][lower-alpha 1] |
|
Mean density
|
1.25+0.40 −0.43 g/cm3[5][lower-alpha 1] |
|
Sidereal rotation period
|
5.9 h[2] |
| Albedo | 0.102+0.024 −0.024 |
| Temperature | ≈ 41 K |
| 20.5[6] | |
| 3.61±0.05[5] 3.4[2] |
|
174567 Varda /ˈvɑːrdə/ (Quenya: [ˈvarda]), provisional designation 2003 MW12, is a trans-Neptunian object with an absolute magnitude of 3.5.[2] It is highly likely to be a dwarf planet.[7] It was discovered on June 21, 2003 by Jeffrey A. Larsen with the Spacewatch telescope.[8]
It is currently 47.5 AU from the Sun,[6] and will come to perihelion around November 2096.[4][9] It has been observed 68 times over 14 oppositions with precovery images back to 1980.[2]
Contents
Satellite
A satellite, Ilmarë /ˈɪlməriː/ (stress on the first syllable, Quenya: [ˈilmarɛ]), or Varda I, was discovered in an image obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope on 26 April 2009, and reported in 2011. It is estimated to be 361+42
−38 km in diameter (about 50% that of its primary).[5]
Name
Names for Varda and its moon were announced on 16 January 2014. Varda is the queen of the Valar, creator of the stars, and principal goddess of the elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional mythology. Ilmarë is a chief of the Maiar and Varda's handmaiden.[10]
Notes
References
- ↑ List Of Transneptunian Objects
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region X. Analysis of classical Kuiper belt objects from Herschel and Spitzer observations (2014)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ M.P.C. 86285, 2014 Jan. 16, p. 431
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris
- (174567) 2003 MW12 Precovery Images
