(523727) 2014 NW65

(523727) 2014 NW₆₅ (provisional designation 2014 NW₆₅) is a large centaur from the outer Solar System, approximately 220 kilometers (140 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 July 2010 by astronomers with the Pan-STARRS-1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, in the United States.^[1] The minor planet was numbered in 2018 and has not been named.

(523727) 2014 NW₆₅

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Pan-STARRS 1
Discovery site	Haleakala Obs.
Discovery date	14 July 2010
Designations
MPC designation	(523727) 2014 NW65
Minor planet category	centaur[2][3][4] · distant[1]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc	12.45 yr (4,546 d)
Aphelion	35.388 AU
Perihelion	11.185 AU
Semi-major axis	23.286 AU
Eccentricity	0.5197
Orbital period (sidereal)	112.37 yr (41,044 d)
Mean anomaly	311.34°
Mean motion	0° 0m 31.68s / day
Inclination	20.424°
Longitude of ascending node	216.01°
Argument of perihelion	232.73°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	212 km[3] 213 km[5]
Geometric albedo	0.08 (est.)[5] 0.09 (est.)[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	6.5[1][2] 6.8[5]

Orbit and classification

2014 NW₆₅ is a member of the centaurs, an inward-moving population of bodies transiting from the Kuiper belt to the group of Jupiter-family comets. Their eccentric orbits are often in between those of Jupiter and Neptune, that is, they have a semi-major axis of typically 5.5 to 30.1 AU. Centaurs are cometary-like bodies. They have a short dynamical lifetime due to the perturbing forces exerted on them by the Solar System's outer planets.

It orbits the Sun at a distance of 11.2–35.4 AU once every 112 years and 4 months (41,044 days; semi-major axis of 23.29 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.52 and an inclination of 20° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2] It has 3 precovery observations back to 2009.^[1]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018, receiving the number 523727 in the minor planet catalog (M.P.C. 111779).^[6] As of 2025^[update], it has not been named.^[1] According to the established naming conventions, it will be named after one of the many centaurs from Greek mythology, which are creatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.^[7]

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

2014 NW₆₅ has an absolute magnitude of 6.5.^[1] According to Johnston's Archive and astronomer Michael Brown, it measures 212 and 213 kilometers in diameter, based on an assumed albedo for the body's surface of 0.09 and 0.08, respectively.^[3][5] It is one of the largest centaurs, comparable in size with 2060 Chiron, 10199 Chariklo, and 54598 Bienor.

As of 2021^[update], no physical characteristics have been determined from photometric observations. The body's color, rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.^[2][8]

See also

• List of centaurs (small Solar System bodies) § 523727