174567 Varda

174567 Varda
Hubble Space Telescope image of Varda and its satellite Ilmarë, taken in 2010 and 2011
Discovery[1][2][3]
Discovered byJ. A. Larsen
Discovery siteKitt Peak National Obs.
Discovery date21 June 2003
Designations
Designation
(174567) Varda
Pronunciation/ˈvɑːrdə/
Named after
Varda
(figure by J. R. R. Tolkien)[2]
2003 MW12
TNO[1] · cubewano[4]
detached[5] · distant[2]
Symbol (astrological)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc39.12 yr (14,290 d)
Earliest precovery date19 March 1980
Aphelion52.711 AU
Perihelion39.510 AU
46.110 AU
Eccentricity0.14315
313.12 yr (114,366 d)
275.208°
0° 0m 11.332s / day
Inclination21.511°
184.151°
≈ 1 November 2096[6]
±4 days
180.072°
Known satellites1 (Ilmarë)
Physical characteristics
740±14 km (area equivalent)[7]
722+82
−76 km[a][8]
Flattening0.080±0.049 (for period of 11.82 h)[7]
or 0.235±0.050 (for period of 5.91 h)[7]
Mass(2.45±0.06)×1020 kg[7][b]
Mean density
1.23±0.04 g/cm3 (for period of 11.82 h)[7]
1.78±0.06 g/cm3 (for period of 5.61 h)[7]
5.61 h[8] or 5.91 h (single-peaked)[9]
11.82 h (double-peaked)[9]
Albedo0.099±0.002 (primary)[7]
0.102+0.024
−0.024[10]
Spectral type
IR (moderately red)[8]
B−V=0.886±0.025[8]
V–R=0.55±0.02[11]
V−I=1.156±0.029[8]
20.5[12]
3.81±0.01 (primary)[7]
3.097±0.060[8]
3.4[1]

174567 Varda (provisional designation 2003 MW12) is a binary trans-Neptunian planetoid of the resonant hot classical population of the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System.[1] Its moon, Ilmarë, was discovered in 2009.[13]

Astronomer Michael Brown estimates that, with an absolute magnitude of 3.5 and a calculated diameter of approximately 700–800 kilometers (430–500 miles),[14][15] it is likely a dwarf planet.[16] However, William M. Grundy et al. argue that objects in the size range of 400–1000 km, with albedos less than ≈0.2 and densities of ≈1.2 g/cm3 or less, have likely never compressed into fully solid bodies, let alone differentiated, and so are highly unlikely to be dwarf planets.[17] It is not clear if Varda has a low or a high density.

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC-object was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC-TNO-list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPEC 2009-C70 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Buie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ JPL Horizons Observer Location: @sun (Perihelion occurs when deldot changes from negative to positive. Uncertainty in time of perihelion is 3-sigma.)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference Souami2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Grundy-2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Thirouin-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference TNOsCool-10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tegler-2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference AstDys was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference johnstonsarchive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Maley2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference EPSC-DPS2019-1076 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brown-dplist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ W.M. Grundy, K.S. Noll, M.W. Buie, S.D. Benecchi, D. Ragozzine & H.G. Roe, 'The Mutual Orbit, Mass, and Density of Transneptunian Binary Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà ((229762) 2007 UK126)', Icarus (forthcoming, available online 30 March 2019) Archived 7 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2018.12.037,


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