1996 PW

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1996 PW
Discovery[1]
Discovered by NEAT automated search camera from Haleakalā, Hawaii
Discovery date August 9, 1996
Designations
MPC designation 1996 PW
trans-Neptunian object[2]
Orbital characteristics[2][3]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc 506 days (1.39 yr)
Aphelion 511.78 AU (76.561 Tm)
Perihelion 2.54445 AU (380.644 Gm)
257.16 AU (38.471 Tm)
Eccentricity 0.99011
4123.97 yr (1506279 d)
1.69887°
Inclination 29.69447°
144.64353°
181.6821°
Earth MOID 1.53091 AU (229.021 Gm)
Jupiter MOID 2.33618 AU (349.488 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 15 km (albedo 0.04, typical of extinct comets)[1]
8 km (albedo 0.15, typical of stony asteroids)[1]
35.44 h (1.477 d)[4][2]
V − R = 0.56 ± 0.04
V − I = 1.03 ± 0.06
V − J = 1.80 ± 0.05
V − H = 2.19 ± 0.05
V − K = 2.32 ± 0.05 [4]
D[4][5]
Ld (SMASSII)[2][6]
14.0[2]

1996 PW is a small Solar System body on an orbit typical of long-period comets but that has shown no sign of cometary activity around the time it was discovered.[4] Simulations indicate that it has most likely come from the Oort cloud, with a roughly equal probability of being an extinct comet and a rocky body that was originally scattered into the Oort cloud.[1] The discovery of 1996 PW prompted theoretical research that suggests that roughly 1 to 2 percent of the Oort cloud objects are rocky.[1][5]

1996 PW was discovered on 1996 August 9 by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) automated search camera on Haleakalā, Hawaii.[1] It is the first object that is not an active comet discovered on an orbit typical of long-period comets.[1]

1996 PW has a rotation period of 35.44 ± 0.02 h and a double-peaked lightcurve with an amplitude of 0.44 ± 0.03 mag.[4] Its spectrum is moderately red and featureless,[7] typical of D-type asteroids and bare comet nuclei.[4][5][7] Its spectrum suggests an extinct comet.[7] The upper limit on 1996 PW's dust production is 0.03 kg/s.[4]

See also

Have very large aphelion

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Weissman, P. R. & Levison, H. F. (1997). Origin and evolution of the unusual object 1996 PW: Asteroids from the Oort cloud?. The Astrophysical Journal, 488, L133–L136
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. AstDys-2 Retrieved 2014-10-28
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Davies, J. K., McBride, N., Green, S. F., Mottola, S., Carsenty, U., Basran, D., Hudson, K. A., & Foster, M. J. (1998). The lightcurve and colors of unusual minor planet 1996 PW. Icarus, 132, 418–430
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Toth, I. (2005). Connections between asteroids and cometary nuclei. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Proceedings IAU Symposium, 229, 67–96.
  6. Bus, S. J. & Binzel, R. P. (2002). Phase II of the small main-belt asteroid spectroscopic survey – A feature-based taxonomy. Icarus, 158, 146–177.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hicks, M. D., Buratti, B. J., Newburn Jr., R. L., & Rabinowitz, D. L. (2000). Physical observations of 1996 PW and 1997 SE5: Extinct comets or D-type asteroids?. Icarus, 143(2), 354–359.

External links