(40314) 1999 KR16

(40314) 1999 KR₁₆ is a trans-Neptunian object on an eccentric orbit in the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 254 kilometers (158 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 16 May 1999, by French astronomer Audrey Delsanti and Oliver Hainaut at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.^[1] The very reddish object is a dwarf planet candidate and has a rotation period of 11.7 hours.^[6][12]

(40314) 1999 KR₁₆

Hubble Space Telescope image of 1999 KR16 taken in 2010
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	A. Dalsanti O. R. Hainaut
Discovery site	La Silla Obs.
Discovery date	16 May 1999
Designations
MPC designation	(40314) 1999 KR16
Alternative designations	1999 KR16
Minor planet category	TNO[2] · other[3] · distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc	16.09 yr (5,878 d)
Aphelion	64.604 AU
Perihelion	33.968 AU
Semi-major axis	49.286 AU
Eccentricity	0.3108
Orbital period (sidereal)	346.02 yr (126,383 d)
Mean anomaly	347.77°
Mean motion	0° 0m 10.08s / day
Inclination	24.771°
Longitude of ascending node	205.57°
Time of perihelion	≈ 26 February 2030[4]
Argument of perihelion	58.419°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	254±37 km[5] 255 km (est.)[6]
Synodic rotation period	5.8 h (half period?)[7] 11.7 h[8]
Geometric albedo	0.204±0.070[5]
Spectral type	RR (very red)[9]
Absolute magnitude (H)	5.5[1][2] 5.527±0.039 (R)[10] 5.7[2] 5.59±0.02 (R)[11]

Orbit and classification

The minor planet orbits the Sun at a distance of 34–65 AU once every 346 years (126,383 days; semi-major axis of 49.29 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 26 May 2002.^[13] As of 2025, it has not been named.^[1]

Physical characteristics

1999 KR₁₆ has two solutions of its rotation period of 6 and 12 hours, respectively,^[7][8] and an albedo of 0.20.^[5]