(613490) 2006 RJ₁₀₃ facts for kids

(613490) 2006 RJ₁₀₃

Discovery
Discovered by	Sloan Digital Sky Srvy.
Discovery site	Apache Point Obs.
Discovery date	12 September 2006
Designations
MPC designation	2006 RJ103
Minor planet category	Neptune trojan L4 centaur distant
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3
Observation arc	14.15 yr (5,169 days)
Aphelion	30.862 AU
Perihelion	28.988 AU
Semi-major axis	29.925 AU
Eccentricity	0.0313
Orbital period	163.70 yr (59,793 days)
Mean anomaly	251.55°
Mean motion	0° 0m 21.6s / day
Inclination	8.1641°
Longitude of ascending node	120.86°
Argument of perihelion	33.563°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	130 km (est. at 0.10) 180 km
Apparent magnitude	22.0
Absolute magnitude (H)	7.5

(613490) 2006 RJ₁₀₃ is a Neptune trojan, first observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Collaboration at Apache Point Observatory, New Mexico, on 12 September 2006. It was the fifth and largest such body discovered, approximately 180 kilometers in diameter. As of 2016^[update], it is 30.3 AU from Neptune.

Orbit and classification

Neptune trojans are resonant trans-Neptunian objects in a 1:1 mean-motion orbital resonance with Neptune. These trojans have a semi-major axis and an orbital period very similar to Neptune's (30.10 AU; 164.8 years).

2006 RJ₁₀₃ belongs to the leading L₄ group, which follow 60° ahead Neptune's orbit. It orbits the Sun with a semi-major axis 29.925 AU of at a distance of 29.0–30.9 AU once every 163 years and 8 months (59,793 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.03 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.

Physical characteristics

The discoverers estimate that 2006 RJ₁₀₃ has a mean-diameter of 180 kilometers based on a magnitude of 22.0. Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, it measures approximately 130 kilometers in diameter using an absolute magnitude of 7.5 with an assumed albedo of 0.10.

Numbering and naming

Due to its orbital uncertainty, this minor planet has not been numbered and its official discoverers have not been determined. If named, it will follow the naming scheme already established with 385571 Otrera, which is to name these objects after figures related to the Amazons, an all-female warrior tribe that fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Trojans against the Greek.

See also

In Spanish: 2006 RJ103 para niños