(24952) 1997 QJ4
Encyclopedia
1997 QJf, also written as 1997 QJ4 is a plutino
, so it has a 2:3 resonance with Neptune
, similar to Pluto
. It has a perihelion (closest approach to the Sun
) at 30.463 AU and an aphelion (farthest approach from the Sun
) at 48.038 AU, so it is in a relatively eccentric orbit. It has a diameter of 139 km, so it is unlikely to be classified as a dwarf planet
. It was discovered on 1997-08-28 by Jane X. Luu, Chad Trujillo
, David C. Jewitt
and K. Berney.
Plutino
In astronomy, a plutino is a trans-Neptunian object in 2:3 mean motion resonance with Neptune. For every 2 orbits that a plutino makes, Neptune orbits 3 times. Plutinos are named after Pluto, which follows an orbit trapped in the same resonance, with the Italian diminutive suffix -ino...
, so it has a 2:3 resonance with Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
, similar to Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
. It has a perihelion (closest approach to the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
) at 30.463 AU and an aphelion (farthest approach from the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
) at 48.038 AU, so it is in a relatively eccentric orbit. It has a diameter of 139 km, so it is unlikely to be classified as a dwarf planet
Dwarf planet
A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be spherical as a result of its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite...
. It was discovered on 1997-08-28 by Jane X. Luu, Chad Trujillo
Chad Trujillo
Chadwick A. "Chad" Trujillo is an astronomer and the co-discoverer of the dwarf planet Eris.Trujillo works with computer software and has examined the orbits of the numerous trans-Neptunian objects , which is the outer area of the solar system that he specialized in. In late August 2005, it was...
, David C. Jewitt
David C. Jewitt
David C. Jewitt is a professor of astronomy formerly at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, now at UCLA. He was born in 1958 in England, and is a 1979 graduate of the University of London. Jewitt received an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in astronomy at the California Institute of Technology in...
and K. Berney.