(471325) 2011 KT19

(471325) 2011 KT19
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery date 31 May 2011[1]
rediscovered 2015 by Pan-STARRS
Designations
Pronunciation /niːkuː/
Named after
 A Chinese adjective meaning "rebellious" [2]
Trans-Neptunian object
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch JD 2457600.5
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc 1779 days (4.87 yr)
Aphelion 47.427 AU
Perihelion 23.7805 AU
35.604 AU
Eccentricity 0.33208
212.45 years
29.487°
Inclination 110.1537°
243.77772°
322.174°
Jupiter Tisserand parameter -1.552
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 75-250 km[4]
22[5]
7.2[4][3]

    (471325) 2011 KT19 (nicknamed Niku) is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) that has an unusual 110 degree tilted solar orbital plane and retrograde orbit around the Sun.[2][6][7]

    Details

    (471325) 2011 KT19 was discovered some time in 2010, and announced in August 2016 by a team of astronomers using the Pan-STARRS telescope. It was soon linked with a supposed prograde centaur (2011 KT19; inclination = 38° and semi-major axis = 28AU) that had been lost due to a short observation arc.[1][6] 2011 KT19 is in a 7:9 resonance with Neptune. Currently it is the only object with a nearly polar orbit that is in resonance with a planet.[8] Notably, it is part of a group of objects which orbit the Sun in a highly inclined orbit; the reasons for this unusual orbit are unknown as of August 2016.[9]

    The orbital characteristics of 2011 KT19 have been compared to those of 2008 KV42 (Drac). The orbits of 2011 KT19, 2008 KV42, and four other objects appear to occupy a common plane, with three in prograde and three in retrograde orbits. The probability of this alignment occurring by chance is 0.016%. These orbits should leave a common plane in a few million years because the precession of prograde and retrograde orbits are in opposite directions. Simulations including the hypothetical Planet Nine did not maintain a common orbital plane and the plane does not coincide with the plane of the predicted high-inclination large semi-major axis objects of that model. Other simulations with a few Earth-mass dwarf planet on a high-inclination orbit also failed to reproduce the alignment.[6]

    The orbit of 2011 KT19 in relation to the planets of the solar system and the dwarf planet Pluto

    References

    1. 1 2 "MPEC 2011-L09 : 2011 KT19". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2 June 2011. (K11K19T; E-assumed due to short arc)
    2. 1 2 "Mystery object in weird orbit beyond Neptune cannot be explained". New Scientist. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
    3. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database (2011 KT19)". JPL. NASA. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    4. 1 2 "IAU Minor Planet Center - 2011 KT19". Minor Planet Center. IAU. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    5. ↑ "AstDyS (471325) 2011KT19 Ephemerides". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
    6. 1 2 3 Chen, Ying-Tung; Lin, Hsing Wen; Holman, Matthew J; Payne, Matthew J; et al. (5 August 2016). "Discovery of A New Retrograde Trans-Neptunian Object: Hint of A Common Orbital Plane for Low Semi-Major Axis, High Inclination TNOs and Centaurs". arXiv:1608.01808 Freely accessible [astro-ph].
    7. ↑ "What Makes the Solar System Like a Crime Scene? - Science Friday". 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
    8. ↑ Morais, M. H. M.; Nomouni, F. (2017). "First transneptunian object in polar resonance with Neptune". arXiv:1708.00346 Freely accessible.
    9. ↑ Dalton, Andrew (10 August 2016). "There's something weird going on beyond Neptune". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
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