541132 Leleākūhonua

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"The Goblin" redirects here. For other uses, see Goblin (disambiguation).

541132 Leleākūhonua
Orbital diagram of three of the four known sednoids: Leleākūhonua, Sedna and 2012 VP113
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byD. J. Tholen
C. Trujillo
S. S. Sheppard
Discovery siteMauna Kea Obs.
Discovery date13 October 2015
Designations
(541132) Leleākūhonua
PronunciationEnglish: /ˌlɛleɪɑːˌkuːhoʊˈnuːə/
Hawaiian: [lelejaːkuːhoˈnuwə]
  • "The Goblin" (nickname)[3][4]
  • V302126 (internal designation)[5]
  • 2015 TG387
Perihelion
65.16±0.21 AU
1085±111 AU
Eccentricity0.93997±0.00636
35760±5510 yr
359.418°
0° 0m 0.099s / day
Inclination11.654°
300.780°
≈ 11 June 2078[9]
±4.5 months
117.778°
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
110+14
−10 km[10]
0.21+0.03
−0.05[10]
24.5[11]
5.50±0.13[1][6]

541132 Leleākūhonua (/ˌlɛleɪɑːˌkuːhoʊˈnuːə/) (provisional designation 2015 TG387) is an extreme trans-Neptunian object and sednoid in the outermost part of the Solar System. It was first observed on 13 October 2015, by astronomers at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii. Based on its discovery date near Halloween and the letters in its provisional designation 2015 TG387, the object was informally nicknamed "The Goblin" by its discoverers[3] and later named Leleākūhonua, comparing its orbit to the flight of the Pacific golden plover. It was the third sednoid discovered, after Sedna and 2012 VP113, and measures around 220 kilometers (140 miles) in diameter.[10]

Discovery

Leleākūhonua was first observed on 13 October 2015 at the

Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. For follow-up observations to determine an object's orbit, the astronomers are using the Magellan and the Lowell Discovery telescopes. The survey's discoveries include 2012 VP113, 2014 SR349 and 2013 FT28.[7]

Orbit and classification

See also: List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun

Leleākūhonua orbits the Sun at a distance varying from 65 to about 2000 AU once roughly every 32,000 years (

semi-major axis of around 1000–1200 AU). Its orbit has a very high eccentricity of 0.94 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[6] It belongs to the extreme trans-Neptunian objects defined by their large semi-major axis and is the third sednoid ever to be discovered, after Sedna and 2012 VP113
("Biden").

Implications of orbit

Along with the similar orbits of other distant trans-Neptunian objects, the orbit of Leleākūhonua suggests, but does not prove, the existence of a hypothetical Planet Nine in the outer Solar System.[7][13]

As of 2019, the object is inbound 78 AU from the Sun;[11] about two-and-a-half times farther out than Pluto's current location.[4] It will come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 2078.[6] As with Sedna, it would not have been found had it not been on the inner leg of its long orbit. This suggests that there may be many similar objects, most too distant to be detected by contemporary technological methods. Following the discovery of Leleākūhonua, Sheppard et al. concluded that it implies a population of about 2 million inner Oort cloud objects larger than 40 km (25 mi), with a combined total mass of 1×1022 kg, about the mass of Pluto (a fraction the mass of Earth's moon but several times the mass of the asteroid belt).[7]

Numbering and naming

This

M.P.C. 117077).[14] In June 2020, it was formally named Leleākūhonua.[15][16] The name was suggested by students in the Hawaiian-language program A Hua He Inoa. The object reminded students of the migrations of the kolea, or Pacific golden plover, which migrates from Alaska to Hawaii.[17] The English description states that the name "compares the orbit to the flight of migratory birds and evokes a yearning to be near Earth" (in Hawaiian, me he manu i ke ala pōʻaiapuni lā, he paʻa mau nō ia i ka hui me kona pūnana i kumu mai ai – like a bird on a path circling the sun, it is forever seeking a leeward wind back toward home.)[1][18]

Physical characteristics

The size of Leleākūhonua depends on the assumed

Penticton, Canada on 20 October 2018 suggested a smaller diameter of 220 km (140 mi), corresponding to a higher albedo of 0.21.[10]

Visualizations

  • Simulated view of Solar System as seen from Leleākūhonua, showing the orbits of major planets and positions of other extreme Trans-Neptunian objects.
    Simulated view of Solar System as seen from Leleākūhonua, showing the orbits of major planets and positions of other extreme
    Trans-Neptunian objects
    .
  • View of Leleākūhonua from Earth, showing retrograde loops every year, with current position near γ Pegasi
    View of Leleākūhonua from Earth, showing retrograde loops every year, with current position near γ Pegasi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "(541132) Leleakuhonua = 2015 TG387". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  2. ^
    Minor Planet Electronic Circular
    . 1 October 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Guarino, Ben (2 October 2018). "New dwarf planet spotted at the very fringe of our solar system". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b Chang, Kenneth (2 October 2018). "A Goblin World That Points Toward Hidden Planet Nine in the Solar System". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. ^ Trujillo, C.; Sheppard, S.S.; Tholen, D.J.; Kaib, N. (24 October 2018). A New Inner Oort Cloud Object. 50th annual meeting of the AAS Division of Planetary Sciences. abstract 311.09. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2015 TG387)" (2018-10-17 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  7. ^
    S2CID 119071596
    .
  8. ^ Johnston, Wm. Robert (13 July 2019). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  9. 3-sigma
    .)
  10. ^
    S2CID 219039999
    . 230.
  11. ^ a b c "2015 TG387 – Ephemerides". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site, Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. ^ Mortillaro, Nicole (2 October 2018). "Discovery of new object supports theory of 'super-Earth' at edge of solar system". CBC News. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  13. S2CID 125361517
    . Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  14. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  15. ^ "M.P.C. 123453" (PDF). Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  16. creation chant, the Kumulipo
    . However, the name/phrase does not actually occur there. Like other recently coined Hawaiian names for astronomical objects, it is a descriptive phrase created by students in a Hawaiian language-revival class.
  17. ^ Meghan Bartels, 'The Goblin' dwarf planet and an ancient quasar receive Hawaiian names Space.com, July 01, 2020
  18. ^ "Hawaiian name given to dwarf planet orbiting Sun". UH News. University of Hawaiʻi Hilo. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  19. ^ a b Drake, Nadia (2 October 2018). "New object beyond Pluto hints at mysterious 'Planet X'". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.

External links

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