| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. W. Buie |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak Obs. |
| Discovery date | 7 November 2002 |
| Designations | |
| (508869)2002 VT130 | |
| 2002 VT130 | |
| TNO[3] · binary[4] cubewano[5] (cold)[6] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
| Observation arc | 14.39yr (5,256 d) |
| Aphelion | 43.716AU |
| Perihelion | 40.710 AU |
| 42.213 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0356 |
| 274.27 yr (100,177 d) | |
| 125.69° | |
| 0° 0m 12.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.1643° |
| 334.29° | |
| 337.65° | |
| Knownsatellites | 1 (D: 205 km;P: 30.76 d)[4] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 324+57 −68 km[7] | |
| Mass | (2.36±0.17)×1018 kg (orbit 1) or (2.27±0.16)×1018 kg (orbit 2)[8] |
| 0.097+0.098 −0.049[7] | |
| V−R =0.56±0.10[4] B–V = 1.45[4] | |
| 5.7[1][3] | |
(508869) 2002 VT130, provisional designation2002 VT130, is atrans-Neptunian object andbinary system from theclassicalKuiper belt, located in the outermost region of theSolar System. It was discovered by American astronomerMarc Buie atKitt Peak Observatory on 7 November 2002.[1][2] The primary measures approximately 324 kilometers (201 miles) in diameter.[7]
The object belongs to the cold classical population and is abinary. Thecompanion was discovered byKeith Noll, Will Grundy, Susan Benecchi, andHal Levison usingHubble Space Telescope on 21 September 2008. The discovery was announced on 24 September 2009. The moon's apparent separation from the primary was3026±90 km with anorbital period of30.7615±0.0064 d.[8] The estimated combined size of2002 VT130 is about 324 km.[7]Johnston's Archive estimates amean diameter of 251 km for the primary, and 205 km for the satellite based on a secondary-to-primary diameter ratio of 0.817.[4]2002 VT130 shows significantphotometric variability with alightcurve amplitude of 0.21magnitudes, which indicates one of its components has an elongated shape.[9]
