(574372) 2010 JO179
Large trans-Neptunian object
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(574372) 2010 JO179 (provisional designation 2010 JO179) is a large, high-order resonant trans-Neptunian object in the outermost regions of the Solar System, probably somewhere between 600 and 900 kilometers (370 and 560 miles) in diameter.[6] Long-term observations suggest that the object is in a meta-stable 5:21 resonance with Neptune.[6] Other sources classify it as a scattered disc object.[4][5] It is possibly large enough to be a dwarf planet.[6]
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 1 |
| Discovery site | Haleakala Obs. |
| Discovery date | 10 May 2010 |
| Designations | |
| (574372) 2010 JO179 | |
| 2010 JO179 | |
| TNO[3] · SDO[4][5] · 5:21 res.[6] p-DP · distant[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 2 | |
| Observation arc | 69.54 yr (25,399 days) |
| Earliest precovery date | 4 February 1951 (POSS-I)[1] |
| Aphelion | 117.997 AU |
| Perihelion | 39.590 AU |
| 78.793 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.49755 |
| 699.43 yr (255,466 d) | |
| 35.211° | |
| 0° 0m 5.04s / day[3] | |
| Inclination | 32.025° |
| 147.350° | |
| 1951-Sep-13[7] | |
| 10.427° | |
| Known satellites | 0 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 600â900 km (implied by estimated albedo)[6] 647 km?[4] | |
| 30.6 h[6] 30.6324 h (best fit)[6] | |
| 0.07 ~ 0.21 (estimated)[6] 0.124 (assumed)[4] | |
| g-r = 0.88±0.21 r-i = 0.34±0.26 r-z = 0.13±0.22[6] | |
| 3.44±0.10 (R-band)[6] 3.83[3][1] | |
2010 JO179 has not yet been imaged by high-resolution telescopes, so it has no known moons.[8] The Hubble Space Telescope is planned to image 2010 JO179 in 2026, which should determine if it has significantly sized moons.[8]
First observation and orbit
The Minor Planet Center credits the object's first official observation on 10 May 2010 to Pan-STARRS (F51) at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States.[1][2] The observations were made by Pan-STARRS' Outer Solar System Survey.[6] There are 4 February 1951 precovery images from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, extending the observation arc by approximately 60 years.[1] The precovery images are from the same year the object came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun).
2010 JO179 orbits the Sun at a distance of 39.6â118 AU once every 699 years and 5 months (semi-major axis of 78.8 AU). Its orbit has a high eccentricity of 0.50 and an inclination of 32° with respect to the ecliptic.[3]
Numbering and naming
This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 10 August 2021, receiving the number 574372 in the minor planet catalog M.P.C. 133504.[9] As of February 2026[update], it has not been named.[1]
Physical characteristics
Photometry
Photometric observations of 2010 JO179 gave a monomodal lightcurve with slow rotation period of 30.6 hours, suggesting a rather spherical shape with significant albedo patchiness. An alternative period solution of a bimodal lightcurve is considered less likely. It would double the period and imply an ellipsoidal shape with an axis-ratio of at least 1.58.[6]
Diameter and albedo
The object's mean diameter has been estimated to measure 600 to 900 kilometers, based on an assumed albedo of 0.21 to 0.07.[6]