83982 Crantor

Crantor

A diagram showing the orbits of Crantor and Jupiter.
Discovery and designation
Discovered by Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) project
Discovery site Palomar
Discovery date April 12, 2002
Designations
MPC designation 83982
Named after
 Crantor
2002 GO9
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch April 18, 2013 (JD 2456400.5)
Aphelion 24.676 AU
Perihelion 14.0252 AU
19.3504 AU
Eccentricity 0.27520
85.12 yr (31091 d)
46.339°
Inclination 12.78844°
117.4056°
92.495°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 60+15
−13 km[2]
13.94[1]
8.5[1]

    83982 Crantor /ˈkræntɔr/, provisionally known as 2002 GO9, is a centaur[3] in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Uranus.[4][5]

    Discovery

    (83982) 2002 GO9 was discovered on April 12, 2002 by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program at Palomar. It is named after the Lapith Crantor.

    Orbit

    Crantor follows a moderately eccentric orbit (eccentricity of 0.27) with a semi-major axis of 19.36 AU and an inclination of 12.78º.[6]

    Physical properties

    Crantor is a relatively large minor body with an absolute magnitude of H=8.5, translating into a diameter of around 60 km.[6] Water ice has been detected on Crantor with a confidence of more than 3σ (99.7%).[2]

    Co-orbital with Uranus

    Crantor was first suggested as a possible co-orbital of Uranus in 2006.[4] Crantor follows a complex, transient horseshoe orbit around Uranus. Classical horseshoe orbits include the Lagrangian points L3, L4, and L5, but Crantor's horseshoe orbit also brings it near Uranus. The motion of Crantor is mainly controlled by the influence of the Sun and Uranus, but Saturn has a significant destabilizing effect. The precession of the nodes of Crantor is accelerated by Saturn, controlling its evolution and short-term stability.[5]

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 JPL Small-Body Database Browser on 83982 Crantor Accessed 2013-01-07
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Near-infrared spectra of centaurs and Kuiper belt objects
    3. ↑ MPC list of Centaurs
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gallardo, T. (September 2006). "Atlas of the mean motion resonances in the Solar System] Gallardo". Icarus 184 (1): 29–38. Bibcode:2006Icar..184...29G. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.04.001.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R. (March 2013). "Crantor, a short-lived horseshoe companion to Uranus". Astronomy and Astrophysics 551: A114(8 pages). arXiv:1301.0770. Bibcode:2013A%26A...551A.114D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220646.
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 JPL's Solar System Dynamics data on Crantor
    Further reading

    External links