(119979) 2002 WC19
2002 WC19 and its satellite imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007
Discovery
Discovered byPalomar Observatory
Discovery date16 November 2002
Designations
(119979) 2002 WC19
Twotino[1][2]
binary
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3
Observation arc3978 days (10.89 yr)
Aphelion60.732 AU (9.0854 Tm)
Perihelion35.289 AU (5.2792 Tm)
48.010 AU (7.1822 Tm)
Eccentricity0.26498
332.67 yr (121,507 d)
316.02°
0° 0m 10.666s / day
Inclination9.1746°
109.7547°
≈ 5 November 2056[4]
±3 days
44.356°
Known satellites1 (81 km)[5]
Earth MOID34.3056 AU (5.13204 Tm)
Jupiter MOID29.9229 AU (4.47640 Tm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions338 km[5]
Mass(7.7±0.5)×1019 kg[5]
Mean density
1.97 g/cm3[5]
0.07 (expected from theory)[6]
4.9

    (119979) 2002 WC19 is a twotino, that is, a planetoid in a 1:2 orbital resonance with Neptune. It was discovered on November 16, 2002 at the Palomar Observatory. If its derived diameter is correct it would have a higher density than Pluto, which is unusual as it appears to be much smaller than the expected size at which a Kuiper belt object usually becomes solid.

    Knowing how many twotinos there are may reveal whether Neptune took roughly 1 million or 10 million years to migrate about 7 AU from its birth location.[7]

    Satellite

    A natural satellite was reported to be orbiting (119979) 2002 WC19 (named S/2007 (119979) 1) on February 27, 2007. It is estimated to be 4092±94 km from the primary, with an orbital period of 8.403±0.001 days, an eccentricity of 0.21±0.05 and an inclination of 24.0°±0.7°. Assuming similar albedos, it is a quarter the diameter of its primary, or around 81 kilometres (50 mi) in diameter.[5]

    References

    1. ↑ Marc W. Buie (2004-12-14). "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 119979". (using 61 of 65 observations) SwRI (Space Science Department). Retrieved 2009-03-04.
    2. ↑ "MPEC 2009-C70 :Distant Minor Planets (2009 February 28.0 TT)". Minor Planet Center. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
    3. ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 119979 (2002 WC19)" (2012-11-06 last obs; arc: 10.89 years). Retrieved 7 April 2016.
    4. ↑ JPL Horizons Observer Location: @sun (Perihelion occurs when deldot changes from negative to positive. Uncertainty in time of perihelion is 3-sigma.)
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 Wm. Robert Johnston (27 May 2019). "(119979) 2002 WC19". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
    6. ↑ Mike Brown, How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system? Archived October 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
    7. ↑ Ron Cowen (2009-01-04). "On the Fringe". ScienceNews. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
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