(612243) 2001 QR322

(612243) 2001 QR322
Discovery[1]
Discovered byM. W. Buie (DES)
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date21 August 2001
Designations
(612243) 2001 QR322
2001 QR322
Neptune trojan · L4[2]
TNO[3] · distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3
Observation arc12.26 yr (4,479 days)
Aphelion30.968 AU
Perihelion29.262 AU
30.115 AU
Eccentricity0.0283
165.27 yr (60,363 days)
86.551°
0° 0m 21.6s / day
Inclination1.3250°
151.75°
151.11°
Physical characteristics
132 km[4]
0.058[4]
22.5[5]
8.12[3][2]

(612243) 2001 QR322, prov. designation: 2001 QR322, is a minor planet and the first Neptune trojan discovered, by American astronomer Marc Buie of the Deep Ecliptic Survey at Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile on 21 August 2001.[1][6] It orbits ahead of Neptune at its L4 Lagrangian point and measures approximately 132 kilometers (82 miles) in diameter.[2][4]

Other Neptune trojans have been discovered since. A study by American astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo from the Carnegie Institution suggests that Neptune could possibly have twenty times more trojans than Jupiter.[7]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC-object was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC-NeptuneTrojans was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference johnstonsarchive-TNO-list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Planetary-Society was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Buie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Space.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).