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(690420) 2014 FC72 is a trans-Neptunian object, classified as a scattered and detached object, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was first observed on 24 March 2014 by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, United States.[1] With its perihelion distant from Neptune, it belongs to a small and poorly understood group of objects with moderate eccentricities.[9][10] It is estimated to measure 500 kilometers (300 miles) in diameter, assuming a low albedo.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 1 |
| Discovery site | Haleakala Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 March 2014 (first observed only) |
| Designations | |
| 2014 FC72 | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
| Observation arc | 16.91 yr (6,178 d) |
| Aphelion | 100.57 AU |
| Perihelion | 51.663 AU |
| 76.114 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3212 |
| 664.06 yr (242,547 d) | |
| 357.23° | |
| 0° 0m 5.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 29.859° |
| 178.00° | |
| ≈ 25 November 2023[6] ±7 days | |
| 33.138° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 22.09[8] | |
| 4.7[1][2] | |
2014 FC72 orbits the Sun at a distance of 51.7–100.6 AU once every 664 years (242,547 days; semi-major axis of 76.11 AU). Its orbit has a moderate eccentricity of 0.32 and an inclination of 30° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
The object belongs to the same orbital group as 2004 XR190 ("Buffy"), 2014 FZ71, 2015 FJ345 and 2015 KQ174 (also see diagram). With an orbital period of 664 years, they seem to be resonant trans-Neptunian objects in a 1:4 resonance with Neptune, as are 2003 LA7 and 2011 UP411,[5] but with lower eccentricities and therefore higher perihelia as the latter.
Considered a scattered and detached object,[3][4][5] 2014 FC72 is particularly unusual as it has an unusually circular orbit for a scattered-disc object (SDO). Although it is thought that traditional scattered-disc objects have been ejected into their current orbits by gravitational interactions with Neptune, the low eccentricity of its orbit and the distance of its perihelion (SDOs generally have highly eccentric orbits and perihelia less than 38 AU) seems hard to reconcile with such celestial mechanics. This has led to some uncertainty as to the current theoretical understanding of the outer Solar System. The theories include close stellar passages, unseen planet/rogue planets/planetary embryos in the early Kuiper belt, and resonance interaction with an outward-migrating Neptune. The Kozai mechanism is capable of transferring orbital eccentricity to a higher inclination.[10][9]
2014 FC72 has a diameter estimated at around 500 kilometers (310 miles), roughly a fifth the size of Pluto.[5][7]
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