Open AccessThe Extreme Kuiper Belt Binary 2001 QW 322
Author(s) -
Jean Petit,
J. J. Kavelaars,
Brett Gladman,
JeanLuc Margot,
P. D. Nicholson,
Lynne Jones,
J. W. Parker,
M. L. N. Ashby,
Adriano Campo Bagatín,
Paula Gabriela Benavídez,
J. Coffey,
P. Rousselot,
O. Mousis,
Patrick Taylor
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 12.556
H-Index - 1186
eISSN - 1095-9203
pISSN - 0036-8075
DOI - 10.1126/science.1163148
Subject(s) - physics , ecliptic , eccentricity (behavior) , binary number , solar system , orbit (dynamics) , orbital plane , orbital eccentricity , planet , orbital elements , astronomy , astrophysics , orbital inclination , astrobiology , solar wind , law , aerospace engineering , arithmetic , mathematics , engineering , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , political science
The study of binary Kuiper Belt objects helps to probe the dynamic conditions present during planet formation in the solar system. We report on the mutual-orbit determination of 2001 QW322, a Kuiper Belt binary with a very large separation whose properties challenge binary-formation and -evolution theories. Six years of tracking indicate that the binary's mutual-orbit period is approximately 25 to 30 years, that the orbit pole is retrograde and inclined 50 degrees to 62 degrees from the ecliptic plane, and, most surprisingly, that the mutual orbital eccentricity is <0.4. The semimajor axis of 105,000 to 135,000 kilometers is 10 times that of other near-equal-mass binaries. Because this weakly bound binary is prone to orbital disruption by interlopers, its lifetime in its present state is probably less than 1 billion years.
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