 Orbital diagram of the orbit of1999 LE31 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab ETS |
| Discovery date | 12 June 1999 |
| Designations | |
| (612093) 1999 LE31 | |
| 1999 LE31 | |
| centaur[2] · damocloid[3] unusual[4] · distant[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 2 | |
| Observation arc | 19.23yr (7,022 d) |
| Aphelion | 11.913AU |
| Perihelion | 4.3396 AU |
| 8.1265 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4660 |
| 23.17 yr (8,462 d) | |
| 316.77° | |
| 0° 2m 33s / day | |
| Inclination | 151.81° |
| 292.12° | |
| 32.319° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.517 AU |
| TJupiter | -1.3090 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 16.8±4.2 km[2][3] | |
| 0.056±0.026[2][3] | |
| B–R = 1.20[3] | |
| 12.5[1][2] | |
(612093) 1999 LE31,prov. designation:1999 LE31, is acentaur anddamocloid on aretrograde and eccentric orbit from the outer region of theSolar System. It was first observed on 12 June 1999, by astronomers with theLINEAR program at theLincoln Lab's ETS near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States.[1] Theunusual object measures approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) in diameter.[2][3]
1999 LE31 orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.3–11.9 AU once every 23 years and 2 months (8,462 days;semi-major axis of 8.13 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.47 and aninclination of 152° with respect to theecliptic.[2]
It spends most of its orbit located in theouter Solar System betweenJupiter andUranus,[5] and like all centaurs, has an unstable orbit caused by the gravitational influence of the giant planets. Due to this, it must have originated from elsewhere, most likely outside Neptune.[5] It is both aJupiter andSaturn-crossing minor planet.[2] Of over half a million knownminor planets,1999 LE31 is one of about 60 that has aretrograde orbit.[6]
1999 LE31 is approximately 16.8 km in diameter.[2][3] It came toperihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in December 1998.[7] It was last observed in 2000, and will next come to perihelion in February 2022.[2]
This asteroid has been recorded at such observatories as:[1]
