2014 PN70

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2014 PN70
2014 PN70, image from the Hubble Space Telescope from May 2015
2014 PN70, image from the Hubble Space Telescope from May 2015
Properties of the orbit
Major semi-axis 44,352  AU
(6635 million km)
Perihelion - aphelion 42.098-46.606 AU
eccentricity 0.0508
Inclination of the orbit plane °
Sidereal period 295.37 a (107.886 d )
Mean orbital velocity  km / s
Physical Properties
Others
Date of discovery 6 August 2014

2014 PN 70 , internationally also g12000JZ, g1 and PT3, is a trans-Neptunian object from the cold classical Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the solar system and measures around 40 kilometers in diameter. The object was first observed by the Hubble Space Telescope on August 6, 2014 and was a proposedflyby targetfor the New Horizons probe until the 2014 MU 69 alternate target(final name: (486958) Arrokoth ) was finally selected in 2015 .

Discovery and naming

The orbit of New Horizons with potential targets 1-3. 2014 PN70 is in green, 2014 OS 393 (PT2) is in red and (486958) Arrokoth (PT1) is in blue.

2014 PN 70 was discovered during an observation campaign aimed at finding KBO flyby targets for the New Horizons probe. The observations began in June 2014 and were intensified in July and August. They were carried out with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope; The object's 26.4 apparent size is too weak to be observed by ground-based telescopes. 2014 PN 70 was first discovered in observations on August 6, 2014 and was called g12000JZ at that time, g1 for short. Its existence as a potential target for the New Horizons probe was revealed by NASA in October 2014 and named PT3. The official tentative designation, 2014 PN 70 , was only given by the Minor Planet Center in March 2015 after better orbit information became available.

classification

2014 PN 70 is a Trans-Neptunian object . In particular, it is a non- resonant classic Kuiper belt object , also known as a "Cubewano". It orbits the sun at a distance of 42.1–46.6 AU every 295 years and 4 months (107,886 days; main axis 44.4 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 4 ° to the ecliptic. This makes it a typical member of the "cold population" among the Cubewanos in the Kuiper belt. The body's observation arc begins with an examination the New Horizons KBO Search team conducted with the Subaru telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii six weeks prior to its official first observation by Hubble.

Physical Properties

2014 PN 70 is approximately 35–55 km in diameter based on an estimated albedo between 0.04 and 0.10. Astronomer Marc Buie gives a similar estimate of 30 to 55 km, and the Johnston Archives calculated a diameter of 39 km. Based on the generic conversion of size to diameter, the object measures 44 km with an absolute size of 10.3 and an assumed albedo of 0.07.

exploration

After flying past Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft was steered towards another Kuiper belt object. Several potential targets were examined. 2014 PN 70 (PT3) was the second choice after 2014 MU 69 (PT1), as more fuel was required to carry out a flyby. 2014 OS3 93 (PT2) was no longer considered as a potential target. On August 28, 2015, the New Horizons team announced the selection of 2014 MU 69 as the next flyby target. 2014 PN 70 is one of the objects New Horizons will observe from a greater distance as part of its expanded Kuiper Belt mission. The spacecraft will pass the 2014 PN 70 in March 2019 at a distance of approximately 0.1 AU (15 million km). This makes 2014 PN 70 after 2014 MU 69 and 2014 OS 393 the third closest KBO observed by New Horizons. New Horizons won't get close enough to resolve either 2014 PN 70 or 2014 OS 393 , but the observations can be used to determine the rotation periods and surface properties of these objects and look for possible satellites. The remote KBO observations provide important context for the data collected during the 2014 MU 69 flyby. At the closest approximation, 2014 PN 70 will be between 0.4 and 0.75 arc seconds long, which is roughly the apparent size of (1) Ceres from Earth.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2014 PN70) . Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  2. ↑ 2014 PN70 . In: Minor Planet Center . Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ Asteroid Size Estimator . CNEOS NASA / JPL. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Johnston, Wm. Robert: List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects . In: Johnston's Archives . December 30, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Buie, Marc : New Horizons HST KBO Search Results: Status Report . Space Telescope Science Institute . 15th October 2014.
  6. ^ JR Spencer, MW Buie: The Successful Search for a Post-Pluto KBO Flyby Target for New Horizons Using the Hubble Space Telescope . In: Copernicus Office (Ed.): European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) Abstract . 2015, p. EPSC2015-417. bibcode : 2015EPSC ... 10..417S .
  7. ^ Zangari, Amanda: Postcards from Pluto . Tumblr . March 28, 2015.
  8. ↑ NASA's Hubble Telescope Finds Potential Kuiper Belt Targets for New Horizons Pluto Mission . In: HubbleSite . 15th October 2014.
  9. ↑ a b Mike Wall: Hubble Telescope Spots Post-Pluto Targets for New Horizons Probe . Space.com . October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ Emily Lakdawalla : Finally! New Horizons has a second target . In: Planetary Society blog . Planetary Society . October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014.
  11. ↑ a b Powell, Corey S .: Alan Stern on Pluto's Wonders, New Horizons' Lost Twin, and That Whole "Dwarf Planet" Thing . March 29, 2015.
  12. ^ Hubble to Proceed with Full Search for New Horizons Targets . In: HubbleSite news release . Space Telescope Science Institute . July 1, 2014.
  13. ^ Alan Stern: To Boldly Go On, In the Service of Exploration . April 14, 2016.