|
Discovery
|
|
|---|---|
| Discovery date | 2004 |
|
Designations
|
|
| MPC designation | 2004 VN112 |
| Minor planet category |
E-SDO (detached object)[1] |
| Epoch 2455800.5 (2011-Aug-27) | |
| Aphelion | 652.2 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 47.32 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 349.8 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.8647 |
| Orbital period | 6542 a |
| Mean anomaly | 0.11° (M) |
| Inclination | 25.52° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 66.06° |
| Argument of perihelion | 327.0° |
|
Physical characteristics
|
|
| Dimensions | 130 - 300 km[2][3] |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.4[2] |
2004 VN112, also written as 2004 VN112, is an extended scattered disc object (detached object)[1] since it has perihelion greater than 40 AU and semi-major axis greater than 200 AU. It never gets closer than 47 AU from the Sun (about the outer edge of the main Kuiper belt) and averages being more than 300 AU from the Sun. Its large eccentricity strongly suggests that it was gravitationally scattered onto its current orbit. Since it is, like all detached objects, outside of the current influence of Neptune, how it came to have this orbit can not yet be explained. It has only been observed 23 times over 4 oppositions.[2] Even dwarf-planet candidate 90377 Sedna has only been observed 82 times.[4] Both Sedna and 2000 CR105 have similar orbits (perihelion greater than 40 AU and semi-major axis greater than 200 AU).
2004 VN112 reached perihelion on 2009-09-01 (Julian Date 2455075.6).[2]