2014_FC69
2014 FC69 is a trans-Neptunian object of the scattered disc on an eccentric orbit in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was first observed on 25 March 2014, by American astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo at the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile.[1] It is one of the most distant objects from the Sun, even further away than Sedna.
Orbital diagram of 2014 FC69 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery site | Cerro Tololo Obs. |
| Discovery date | 25 March 2014 |
| Designations | |
| 2014 FC69 | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 1 July 2021 (JD 2459396.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6[1] · 7[2] | |
| Observation arc | 1.87 yr (682 d) |
| Aphelion | 104.21 AU |
| Perihelion | 40.091 AU |
| 72.150 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4443 |
| 612.86 yr (223,847 d) | |
| 91.584° | |
| 0° 0m 5.76s / day | |
| Inclination | 30.024° |
| 250.26° | |
| 189.01° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 533 km (est.)[4][7] |
| 4.7[1][2] | |
As of 2021[update] and based on an orbital uncertainty of 6–7 and an observation arc of only 682 days, 2014 FC69 orbits the Sun at a distance of 40.1–104.2 AU once every 612 years and 10 months (223,847 days; semi-major axis of 72.15 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.44 and an inclination of 30° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
Based on the best-fit (albeit uncertain) orbital solution, 2014 FC69 is a scattered disc object,[4] or "near-scattered" in the classification of the Deep Ecliptic Survey,[5] that still interacts gravitationally with Neptune due to its relatively low perihelion of 40.1 AU, contrary to the extended-scattered/detached objects and sednoids which never approach Neptune as close as 2014 FC69 does.
Most distant objects from the Sun
2014 FC69 last came to perihelion around 1865,[2] moving away from the Sun ever since and is currently about 85.6 AU from the Sun,[8] which is further away than the dwarf planet Sedna. Other than long-period comets, it is the 10th-most-distant known larger body in the Solar System (also see List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun § Known distant objects).[9]
Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion from its magnitude of 4.6, 2014 FC69 is approximately 533 kilometers (330 miles) in diameter, assuming an albedo of 0.9.[4][7]
As of 2021[update], no rotational lightcurve for this object has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2]
- "2014 FC69". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2014 FC69)" (2015-01-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "MPEC 2015-C52 : 2014 FC69". Minor Planet Center. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 14FC69". Southwest Research Institute. Retrieved 8 September 2021.The Deep Ecliptic Survey Object Classifications
- Brown, Michael E. "How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system?". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "Asteroid 2014 FC69 – Ephemerides". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "Observational Query: objects more than 57.0 AU from the Sun". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site, Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- List of Transneptunian Objects, Minor Planet Center
- 2014 FC69 at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 2014 FC69 at the JPL Small-Body Database