(523727) 2014 NW65 (provisional designation 2014 NW65) is a large centaur from the outer Solar System, approximately 220 kilometers (140 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 July 2010 by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS-1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, in the United States.[1] The minor planet was numbered in 2018 and has not been named.

(523727) 2014 NW65
Discovery[1]
Discovered byPan-STARRS 1
Discovery siteHaleakala Obs.
Discovery date14 July 2010
Designations
(523727) 2014 NW65
centaur[2][3][4] · distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc12.45 yr (4,546 d)
Aphelion35.388 AU
Perihelion11.185 AU
23.286 AU
Eccentricity0.5197
112.37 yr (41,044 d)
311.34°
0° 0m 31.68s / day
Inclination20.424°
216.01°
232.73°
Physical characteristics
212 km[3]
213 km[5]
0.08 (est.)[5]
0.09 (est.)[3]
6.5[1][2]
6.8[5]

Orbit and classification

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2014 NW65 is a member of the centaurs, an inward-moving population of bodies transiting from the Kuiper belt to the group of Jupiter-family comets. Their eccentric orbits are often in between those of Jupiter and Neptune, that is, they have a semi-major axis of typically 5.5 to 30.1 AU. Centaurs are cometary-like bodies. They have a short dynamical lifetime due to the perturbing forces exerted on them by the Solar System's outer planets.

It orbits the Sun at a distance of 11.2–35.4 AU once every 112 years and 4 months (41,044 days; semi-major axis of 23.29 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.52 and an inclination of 20° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] It has 3 precovery observations back to 2009.[1]

Numbering and naming

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This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018, receiving the number (523727) in the minor planet catalog (M.P.C. 111779).[6] As of 2023, it has not been named.[1] According to the established naming conventions, it will be named after one of the many centaurs from Greek mythology, which are creatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.[7]

Physical characteristics

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Diameter and albedo

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2014 NW65 has an absolute magnitude of 6.5.[1] According to the Johnston's archive and astronomer Michael Brown, it measures 212 and 213 kilometers in diameter, based on an assumed albedo for the body's surface of 0.09 and 0.08, respectively.[3][5] It is one of the largest centaurs, comparable in size with 2060 Chiron, 10199 Chariklo, and 54598 Bienor.

As of 2021, no physical characteristics have been determined from photometric observations. The body's color, rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "523727 (2014 NW65)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 523727 (2014 NW65)" (2018-08-10 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Johnston, Wm. Robert (7 October 2018). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  4. ^ "List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d Brown, Michael E. "How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system?". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  6. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Naming of Astronomical Objects – Minor planets". IAU – International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  8. ^ "LCDB Data for (523727)". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
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