2014 UZ224

2014 UZ224
2014 UZ224 imaged by ALMA
Discovery[1]
Discovered byDavid Gerdes et al.
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date19 August 2014
Designations
2014 UZ224
DeeDee (nickname)
TNO[2] · SDO[3]
p-DP[4]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter· 6[5]
Observation arc12.08 yr (4,414 days)
Earliest precovery date15 October 2006[5]
Aphelion176.988±0.453 AU
Perihelion38.295±0.029 AU
107.642±0.275 AU
Eccentricity0.64423
1116.81±4.28 yr (407,913 days)
320.482±0.210°
0° 0m 3.177s / day
Inclination26.790°
130.699±0.004°
≈ 27 May 2142[6]
±67 days
29.989±0.063°
Physical characteristics
635+65
−72
 km
[3]
0.131+0.038
−0.028
[3]
G–R = 0.77±0.11[3]
23.38±0.05[3]
3.5[3] · 3.4[2]

2014 UZ224 is a trans-Neptunian object and possible dwarf planet orbiting in the scattered disc of the outermost Solar System. As of 2021, it is approximately 89.7 AU (13.42 billion km) from the Sun, and will slowly decrease in distance until it reaches its perihelion of 38 AU in 2142. The discoverers have nicknamed it "DeeDee" for "Distant Dwarf".[7][8]

2014 UZ224 was discovered by a team led by David Gerdes using data collected by the large camera Dark Energy Camera (DECam).[9][10] It has a diameter of ~635 km (395 mi) and reflects just 13 percent of the sunlight that hits it.[3][2] Since the numbering of (532037) 2013 FY27 in May 2019, 2014 UZ224 may be the largest unnumbered object in the Solar System as of July 2024 (though see 2012 VP113).[4] The earliest known precovery observations of 2014 UZ224 were taken at the Mauna Kea Observatory on 15 October 2006.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPEC 2016-T104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Gerdes2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Brown, M. (20 May 2019), How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system?, retrieved 1 June 2019
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC-object 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. ^ "Soon you won't care about a newly discovered dwarf planet". Wired. 18 October 2016.
  8. ^ "New dwarf planet solar system's 2nd most distant". Umich.edu.
  9. ^ Cofield, Calla. "New Dwarf Planet Found in Our Solar System". Scientific American. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  10. ^ "A Friend for Pluto: Astronomers Find New Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System". NPR.org.