 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. S. Sheppard C. Trujillo |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 14 October 2007 |
| Designations | |
| (341520) Mors-Somnus | |
Named after | Mors andSomnus (Roman mythology)[2] |
| 2007 TY430 | |
| TNO[1] · Plutino[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
| Observation arc | 6.12 yr (2,235 days) |
| Aphelion | 49.184AU |
| Perihelion | 28.839 AU |
| 39.012 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2607 |
| 243.67yr (89,000 days) | |
| 0.4680° | |
| 0° 0m 14.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.304° |
| 196.75° | |
| 205.32° | |
| Knownsatellites | 1[4] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 102 km(derived)[4] 175.20 km(calculated)[5] <60 km(each component)[3] |
| Mass | (7.90±0.21)×1017 kg[3] |
Meandensity | >0.5 g/cm3[3] |
| 9.28±0.05h[6] | |
| 0.10(assumed)[5] 0.23[3] | |
| B–V =1.290±0.014[3] V–R =0.740±0.010[3] V–I =1.370±0.014[3] C[5] | |
| 6.9[1][5] 6.94±0.02[3] | |
341520 Mors–Somnus (/ˌmɔːrsˈsɒmnəs/;provisional designation2007 TY430) is abinary andplutino. It consists of two components less than 60 kilometers in diameter, orbiting at a distance of 21000 km.
Mors–Somnus was discovered on 14 October 2007, by American astronomersScott Sheppard andChad Trujillo with theSubaru Telescope atMauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, United States. It was later named after the twinsMors andSomnus from Roman mythology.[2]
Mors–Somnus is a small doubleplutino occupying the 3:2 mean motion resonance withNeptune.[3] The object is a wide optically resolved binary with the following orbital parameters:
| Semi-major axis, km | Eccentricity | Period, d | Inclination, degree |
| 21000 ± 160 | 0.1529 ± 0.0028 | 961.2 ± 4.6 | 15.68 ± 0.22 |
The components have almost equal size.
The total mass of the system is7.90 ± 0.21×1017 kg. For a realistic minimal density of 0.5 g/cm3 thealbedo is >0.17 and the size of the components is <60 km.[3] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.1 and calculates a diameter of 175.20 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 6.9.[5]
Mors–Somnus has an ultra-red spectrum in the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. The colors of two components are indistinguishable from each other.[3] It demonstrates a double-peaked light curve with the period of about 9.28 hours and amplitude of 0.24. This indicates that either primary or secondary has an elongated shape and rotates non-synchronuosly.[6]
The Mors–Somnus system is likely to be an escapedcold classical Kuiper belt object.[3]
Theminor planet was named after the mythological twin Roman gods of death (Mors) and sleep (Somnus).[2] The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 2 June 2015 (M.P.C. 94392).[7]
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