// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did (678191) 2017 OF69 say? It had an asteroid reputation.
 2017 OF69 photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope on 9 June 2026 | |
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery site | Maunakea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 July 2017 |
| Designations | |
| TNO[3] · plutino[4] · distant[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
| Observation arc | 6.01 yr (2,195 d) |
| Aphelion | 47.844 AU (7.1574 Tm) |
| Perihelion | 31.418 AU (4.7001 Tm) |
| 39.631 AU (5.9287 Tm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2072 |
| 249.49 yr (91,128 d) | |
| 251.02° | |
| 0° 0m 14.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 13.654° |
| 218.53° | |
| 215.37° | |
| Known satellites | 0 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 662 km (est.)[4] | |
| 0.074 (assumed)[4] | |
| 4.34[1][3] | |
(678191) 2017 OF69 is a trans-Neptunian object located in the Kuiper belt, a region of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is a member of the plutinos, a population of Kuiper belt objects in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune, like Pluto. The object measures approximately 662 kilometers (410 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 26 July 2017, by American astronomers David Tholen, Scott Sheppard, and Chad Trujillo at Maunakea Observatory in Hawaii, but not announced until 31 May 2018 due to observations made in April and May 2018 refining its orbit significantly.[2]
2017 OF69 was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope on 9 June 2026, during a search for moons around large trans-Neptunian objects.[5]
Orbit and classification
[edit]2017 OF69 is a large plutino, a subgroup of the resonant trans-Neptunian objects located in the inner region of Kuiper belt. Named after the group's largest member, Pluto, the plutinos have a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune.[4]
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 31.4–47.8 AU once every 249 years and 6 months (91,128 days; semi-major axis of 39.63 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic.[3] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery by Pan-STARRS in June 2012.[1]
Numbering and naming
[edit]This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 22 March 2024 (M.P.C. 172722).[6] As of January 2026[update], it has not been named.[1]
Physical characteristics
[edit]Diameter and albedo
[edit]According to Johnston's Archive, 2017 OF69 measures 662 kilometers in diameter assuming an albedo of 0.074 for the body's surface.[4] This makes 2017 OF69 a notably large body for how late it has been discovered, being the fifth largest plutino in the Solar System, after Pluto, Orcus, Achlys, and Ixion, and the largest discovered since Orcus in 2004.
Rotation period
[edit]As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of 2017 OF69 has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[3]
See also
[edit]- (84922) 2003 VS2 – an elongated plutino with a similar size as 2017 OF69
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "2017 OF69". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- 1 2 "MPEC 2018-K109L 2017 OF69". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2017 OF69)" (2018-06-14 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ↑ Proudfoot, Benjamin (August 2025). "A Search For The Moons of Mid-Sized TNOs". Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Space Telescope Science Institute: HST Proposal 18010. Cycle 33. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
External links
[edit]
- List of Transneptunian Objects, Minor Planet Center
- (678191) 2017 OF69 at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- (678191) 2017 OF69 at the JPL Small-Body Database
