2012 VP113: A New Furthest Known Object in Solar System
Explanation:
What is the furthest known object in our Solar System?
The new answer is
2012 VP113,
an object currently over twice the
distance of
Pluto from the Sun.
Pictured above is a series of discovery images taken with the
Dark Energy Camera
attached to the
NOAO's
Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile in 2012 and released last week.
The
distant object, seen moving on the lower right, is thought to be a
dwarf planet like
Pluto.
Previously, the furthest known dwarf planet was
Sedna, discovered in 2003.
Given how little of the sky was searched, it is likely that as many as 1,000
more
objects like
2012 VP113
exist in the outer
Solar System.
2012 VP113 is
currently near its closest approach to the Sun,
in about 2,000 years it will be over five times further.
Some scientists hypothesize that the reason why objects like
Sedna and
2012 VP113 have their present orbits is because they were
gravitationally scattered there by a much larger object --
possibly a very distant undiscovered planet.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
