, also written as 2010 KZ39, is a trans-Neptunian object

Trans-Neptunian object

A trans-Neptunian object is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune.The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930...

 with an absolute magnitude

Absolute magnitude

Absolute magnitude is the measure of a celestial object's intrinsic brightness. it is also the apparent magnitude a star would have if it were 32.6 light years away from Earth...

 of 3.9. It is very likely 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...

.

Characteristics

It has been observed 19 times over two oppositions. It is currently 46.3 AU

Astronomical unit

An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....

 from the Sun. Using the best-fit values for its orbit it is expected to come to perihelion

Apsis

An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...

 in 2085.

Assuming a generic trans-Neptunian albedo of 0.09, it would be about 735 km in diameter. But since its albedo is unknown and it has a preliminary absolute magnitude of 3.9, it could easily be somewhere between 440 (albedo: 0.25) and 980 km (albedo: 0.05) in diameter.

External links

• Large New Trans-Neptunian Object 2010 KZ39 Discovered (BAA Blog : 9 June 2010)
• OCKS: OGLE Carnegie Kuiper belt Survey (OCKS is a Southern sky survey searching for Kuiper Belt objects and dwarf planets)
• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris