Cis-Neptunian object
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‡ Trans-Neptunian dwarf planets are called "plutoids" |
A cis-Neptunian object is, literally, any astronomical body found within the orbit of Neptune.[1] However, the term is typically used for those distant minor planets other than trans-Neptunian objects: that is, all sub-planetary bodies orbiting the Sun at or within the distance of Neptune, but outside the orbit of Jupiter. This includes the icy minor planets known as centaurs[2] and the Neptune trojans.[3][lower-alpha 1]
Centaurs orbit the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune, often crossing the orbits of the large gas giants. There is an emerging sense[2] that the centaurs may simply be objects similar to scattered-disc objects that were knocked inwards from the Kuiper belt rather than outwards, making them cis-Neptunian rather than trans-Neptunian scattered-disc objects.
Neptune trojans, named by analogy to the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, are a stable reservoir of small bodies sharing Neptune's orbit.[4] As of August 2012, all known Neptune trojans except two lie in an elongated region around the L4 Lagrangian point 60° ahead of Neptune.
Notes
- ↑ These are 2001 QR322, 2004 UP10, 2005 TN53, 2005 TO74, 2006 RJ103, 2007 VL305, 2008 LC18, and 2004 KV18.[3]
References
- ↑ Remo, John L. (2007). Classifying Solid Planetary Bodies. New trends in astrodynamics and applications III. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 886, pp. 284-302.
- 1 2 J Horner, NW Evans, ME Bailey, DJ Asher (2003). "The Populations of Comet-like Bodies in the Solar System" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- 1 2 "List Of Neptune Trojans". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ↑ Sheppard, Scott S.; Trujillo, Chadwick A. (June 2006). "A Thick Cloud of Neptune Trojans and Their Colors" (PDF). Science 313 (5786): 511–514. Bibcode:2006Sci...313..511S. doi:10.1126/science.1127173. PMID 16778021. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
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