2015 KG163, also known as o5m52, is a trans-Neptunian object from the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 102 kilometers (63 miles) in diameter. It was first observed on 24 May 2015, by astronomers of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, United States.[5] With an observation arc of 2 years, it passed perihelion around August 2022[7][a] at a velocity of 6.5 km/s with respect to the Sun.
 The orbit of 2015 KG163 (right side, in orange) and other extreme detached objects, along with the hypothetical Planet Nine's orbit on the right | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | OSSOS |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 May 2015 |
| Designations | |
| 2015 KG163 | |
| o5m52[2] | |
| TNO[3] · detached[4] · distant[5] | |
| Orbital characteristics (barycentric)[6] | |
| Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3[3] | |
| Observation arc | 2.02 yr (739 days) |
| Earliest precovery date | 17 May 2015 |
| Aphelion | 1319 AU |
| Perihelion | 40.493 AU |
| 679.816 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.94043 |
| 17713 yr | |
| 0.014° | |
| 0° 0m 0.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 13.994° |
| 219.103° | |
| ≈ 10 August 2022[7] ±2 months[a] | |
| 32.097° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 65–150 km (est. 0.04–0.20)[8] | |
| 24.2 (discovery)[1] | |
| 8.2[3][5] | |
It is one a small number of detached objects with perihelion distances of 30 AU or more, and semi-major axes of 250 AU or more.[9] Such objects can not reach such orbits without some perturbing object, which lead to the speculation of Planet Nine. Its argument of perihelion is similar to that of 2013 FT28, but its semi-major axis is larger, such that its orbit may cross that of Planet Nine.
Notes
References
External links
- 2015 KG163 at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 2015 KG163 at the JPL Small-Body Database