47171 Lempo

47171 Lempo
Lempo–Hiisi and their outer companion Paha, imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2001. Lempo and Hiisi are unresolved.
Discovery[1]
Discovered byEric P. Rubenstein
Louis-Gregory Strolger
Discovery siteKitt Peak National Obs.
Discovery date1 October 1999
Designations
(47171) Lempo
Pronunciation/ˈlɛmp/[citation needed]
Named after
Lempo (Finnish mythology)[2]
1999 TC36
TNO · plutino[3] · distant[2] · trinary[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 17 December 2020 (JD 2459200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 1
Observation arc46.58 yr (17,013 days)
Earliest precovery date18 June 1974
Aphelion48.397 AU
Perihelion30.542 AU
39.470 AU
Eccentricity0.22618
247.97 yr (90,572 days)
8.547°
0° 0m 14.309s / day
Inclination8.4233°
97.020°
294.424°
Known satellites2
Physical characteristics
272+17
−19
 km
(primary)[5]
Mass(12.75±0.06)×1018 kg
(overall system)[4]
(14.20±0.05)×1018 kg
(without Paha)[4]
6.71×1018 kg
(primary)[6]
Mean density
0.64+0.15
−0.11
 g/cm3
 (system)[5]
0.079+0.013
−0.011
 (system)[5]
RR (very red)[7][8]
B–V=1.029±0.047[9]
V−R=0.693±0.032[9]
V−I=1.270±0.050[9]
19.9[10]
5.41±0.10[5]
4.8 (assumed)[1]

47171 Lempo, or as a binary (47171) Lempo–Hiisi (provisional designation 1999 TC36), is a trans-Neptunian object and trinary system from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost regions of the Solar System. It was discovered on 1 October 1999, by American astronomers Eric Rubenstein and Louis-Gregory Strolger during an observing run at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States.[2][11] Rubenstein was searching images taken by Strolger as part of their Nearby Galaxies Supernova Search project. It is classified as a plutino with a 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Neptune and is among the brighter TNOs. It reached perihelion in July 2015. This minor planet was named after Lempo from Finnish mythology.[2]

The trinary system's other two components, Paha /ˈpɑːhɑː/ and Hiisi /ˈhsi/, were discovered in 2001 and 2007, respectively, and later named after Lempo's two demon cohorts, Paha and Hiisi.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference MPC-object was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Buie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Benecchi2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference TNOsCool5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Correia2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cruikshank2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fulchignoni2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Hainaut2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference AstDyS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPEC-1999-Y19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC106502 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).