(55636) 2002 TX300

2002 TX₃₀₀ is a dwarf planet candidate in the outer Solar System. It is a large Haumeid object, discovered in October 15, 2002 by the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program.

A Classical Kuiper Belt object with the 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 irregular shape^[8].

Size

The non-detection of IR thermal emissions puts an upper limit of 709 km on its diameter and a lower limit on the albedo of 0.19.^[4]

Orbit

Orbits of 2002 TX₃₀₀ (blue), Haumea (green), and Neptune (grey).

Orbits of 2002 TX₃₀₀ (blue), Haumea (green), and Neptune (grey).

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-sizes cubewanos follow similar orbits as well, notably 2002 UX₂₅ and 2002 AW₁₉₇.

The diagrams 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).

Surface

The spectrum in the visible and near-infrared rages is very similar to that of Charon characterized by neutral to blue slope (1%/1000 Å) with deep (60%) water absorption bands at 1.5 and 2.0 μm)^[9]. Mineralogical analysis indicates a substantial fraction of large ice (H₂O) particles.^[10] The signal/noise ratio of the observations was insufficient to differentiate between amorphous or crystalline ice (crystalline ice was reported on Charon, (50000) Quaoar and Haumea). The proportion of highly processed organic materials (tholins), typically present on numerous trans-Neptunian objects, is very low. As suggested by Licandro et al. 2006, this lack of irradiated mantle suggest either a recent collision or comet activity.

Origin

Common physical characteristics with the dwarf planet Haumea together with similar orbit elements ^[11] led to suggestion that 2002 TX₃₀₀ is a member of the Haumean collisional family. The object, together with other members of the family ((19308) 1996 TO₆₆, (24835) 1995 SM₅₅, (120178) 2003 OP₃₂, and (145453) 2005 RR₄₃), would be created from ice mantle ejected from the proto-Haumea as result of a collision with another large (~1660 km) body.^[12]

External links

• AstDys orbital elements
• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris

References

1. ^ Brian G. Marsden (2008-07-17). "MPEC 2008-O05 : Distant Minor Planets (2008 Aug. 2.0 TT)". IAU Minor Planet Center. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpec/K08/K08O05.html. Retrieved on 2008-10-01. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 55636 (2002 TX300)". 2008-10-22 last obs. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=55636. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
3. ^ ^{a b} John Stansberry, Will Grundy, Mike Brown, Dale Cruikshank, John Spencer, David Trilling, Jean-Luc Margot (2007). "Physical Properties of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects: Constraints from Spitzer Space Telescope". University of Arizona, Lowell Observatory, California Institute of Technology, NASA Ames Research Center, Southwest Research Institute, Cornell University. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0702538v2. Retrieved on 2008-12-10. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Grundy, W. M; Noll, K. S.; Stephens, D. C. (2005). "Diverse albedos of small trans-neptunian objects". Icarus 176 (1): 184–191. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.01.007.  (Preprint on arXiv.)
5. ^ Doressoundiram (2004). "The Meudon Multicolor Survey (2MS) of Centraurs and Trans-Neptunian objects". http://calys.obspm.fr/~pcorps/TNO/publi/doressoundiram2004_final_2MS.pdf. Retrieved on 2006-11-06. 
6. ^ "AstDys (55636) 2002TX300 Ephemerides". Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1240086966410194. Retrieved on 2009-03-16. 
7. ^ "Conversion of Absolute Magnitude to Diameter". IAU: Minor Planet Center. http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/Sizes.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
8. ^ J. L. Ortiz, A. Sota, R. Moreno, E. Lellouch, N. Biver, A. Doressoundiram, P. Rousselot, P. J. Gutiérrez, I. Márquez, R. M. González Delgado and V. Casanova A study of Trans-Neptunian object (55636) 2002 TX₃₀₀, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 420 (2004), Issue 1, pp. 383-388. Abstract.
9. ^ J.Licandro, L. di Fabrizio, N. Pinilla-Alonso, J. de León, and E. Oliva Trans-Neptunian object (55636) 2002 TX₃₀₀, a fresh icy surface in the outer Solar System. 2006, A&A,457,329-333 Abstract
10. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Licandro, J.; Campins, H. Mineralogical analysis of two different kinds of icy surfaces in the trans-neptunian belt, TNOs (50000) Quaoar and 2002 TX₃₀₀, American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #36, #11.07 (2004). Abstract.
11. ^ Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Licandro, J.; Gil-Hutton, R.; Brunetto, R. (June 2007). "The water ice rich surface of (145453) 2005 RR43: a case for a carbon-depleted population of TNOs?" (PDF). Astronomy and Astrophysics 468 (1). http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007A%26A...468L..25P. 
12. ^ Michael E. Brown, Kristina M. Barkume, Darin Ragozzine & Emily L. Schaller, A collisional family of icy objects in the Kuiper belt, Nature, 446, (March 2007), pp 294-296.

v • d • e Haumea Moons Namaka · Hiʻiaka Classification Dwarf planet · Plutoid · Definition of planet · 2006 definition of planet · Kuiper belt · Cubewano  · Trans-Neptunian object Collisional family 2002 TX300  · (24835) 1995 SM55  · (19308) 1996 TO66  · (120178) 2003 OP32  · (145453) 2005 RR43 Controversy Controversy over the discovery of Haumea  · José Luis Ortiz Moreno  · Michael E. Brown

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