(416400) 2003 UZ117

(416400) 2003 UZ₁₁₇ (provisional designation 2003 UZ₁₁₇) is a trans-Neptunian object and suspected member of the Haumea family, located in the Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 24 October 2003, by astronomers of the Spacewatch survey project at Kitt Peak Observatory, Arizona.^[4] The object may also be a non-resonant cubewano.^[3]

(416400) 2003 UZ₁₁₇

Hubble Space Telescope image of 2003 UZ117 taken in 2010
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered by	Spacewatch
Discovery site	Kitt Peak National Obs.
Discovery date	24 October 2003
Designations
MPC designation	(416400) 2003 UZ117
Alternative designations	2003 UZ117
Minor planet category	TNO[1][2] · cubewano(?)[3] distant[4] · Haumea[5] Extended[6]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3
Observation arc	13.23 yr (4,831 days)
Aphelion	49.777 AU
Perihelion	38.325 AU
Semi-major axis	44.051 AU
Eccentricity	0.1300
Orbital period (sidereal)	292.38 yr (106,791 days)
Mean anomaly	339.93°
Mean motion	0° 0m 12.24s / day
Inclination	27.473°
Longitude of ascending node	204.72°
Time of perihelion	≈ 20 November 2032[7] ±2 days
Argument of perihelion	247.45°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	138 km[8] 371 km (derived)[9] 423 km[3]
Synodic rotation period	6 h (poor)[10] 10.61±0.02 h[11]
Geometric albedo	0.07 (derived)[8] 0.09 (assumed)[3] 0.1 (assumed)[9]
Spectral type	BB[12] · C[9]
Absolute magnitude (H)	4.92±0.01 (R)[13] · 4.920±0.083 (R)[14] · 5.18±0.03[12] · 5.22[15] · 5.27[9] · 5.27±0.02[16] · 5.3[1] · 5.4[8]

Orbit and physical characterization

The orbit of 2003 UZ₁₁₇ along with other Haumea family objects

2003 UZ₁₁₇ orbits the Sun at a distance of 38.3–49.8 AU once every 292 years and 5 months (semi-major axis of 44.05 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 27° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] Precovery images have been identified back to 2002.^[4]

Estimates for its diameter range between 138 and 423 kilometers.^[3][8][9] Two rotational lightcurves of the object gave a rotation period of 6 and 10.61 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.1 and 0.09 in magnitude, respectively (U=1/2).^[10][11] It has a spectral type of BB, with a grey/blue rather than red color.^[12]

Origin

Main article: Haumea family

Based on their common pattern of infrared water-ice absorption and the clustering of their orbital elements, the other KBOs, 2003 UZ₁₁₇ appears to be one of the collisional fragments broken off the dwarf planet Haumea. The neutral color of the spectrum of these objects in the visible range evidences a lack of complex organics on the surface of these bodies that has been studied in detail for the surface of Haumea.^[5]

See also

• List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun