(119979) 2002 WC19

(119979) 2002 WC19 is a twotino, that is, a planetoid in a 1:2 orbital resonance with Neptune. It was discovered on November 16, 2002 at the Palomar Observatory. It is probably a dwarf planet in Brown's estimation,[6] but is likely much too small to be a solid body.

(119979) 2002 WC19
2002 WC19 and its satellite imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007
Discovery
Discovered byPalomar Observatory
Discovery date16 November 2002
Designations
(119979) 2002 WC19
Twotino[1][2]
binary
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3
Observation arc3978 days (10.89 yr)
Aphelion60.732 AU (9.0854 Tm)
Perihelion35.289 AU (5.2792 Tm)
48.010 AU (7.1822 Tm)
Eccentricity0.26498
332.67 yr (121,507 d)
316.02°
0° 0m 10.666s / day
Inclination9.1746°
109.7547°
≈ 5 November 2056[4]
±3 days
44.356°
Known satellites1 (81 km)[5]
Earth MOID34.3056 AU (5.13204 Tm)
Jupiter MOID29.9229 AU (4.47640 Tm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions338 km[5]
Mass(7.7±0.5)×1019 kg[5]
Mean density
1.97 g/cm3[5]
0.07 (expected from theory)[6]
4.9

    Knowing how many twotinos there are may reveal whether Neptune took roughly 1 million or 10 million years to migrate about 7 AU from its birth location.[7]

    Orbit of 2002 WC19 compared to Pluto and Neptune
    1:2 libration over 20,000 years – Neptune is held stationary (dot at 5 o'clock); orbit of Uranus in blue

    Satellite

    A natural satellite was reported to be orbiting (119979) 2002 WC19 on February 27, 2007. It is estimated to be 4092±94 km from the primary, with an orbital period of 8.403±0.001 days, an eccentricity of 0.21±0.05 and an inclination of 24.0°±0.7°. Assuming similar albedos, it is a quarter the diameter of its primary, or around 81 kilometres (50 mi) in diameter.[5]

    References
    1. Marc W. Buie (2004-12-14). "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 119979". (using 61 of 65 observations) SwRI (Space Science Department). Retrieved 2009-03-04.
    2. "MPEC 2009-C70 :Distant Minor Planets (2009 February 28.0 TT)". Minor Planet Center. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
    3. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 119979 (2002 WC19)" (2012-11-06 last obs; arc: 10.89 years). Retrieved 7 April 2016.
    4. JPL Horizons Observer Location: @sun (Perihelion occurs when deldot changes from negative to positive. Uncertainty in time of perihelion is 3-sigma.)
    5. Wm. Robert Johnston (27 May 2019). "(119979) 2002 WC19". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
    6. Mike Brown, How many dwarf planets are there in the outer solar system? Archived October 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
    7. Ron Cowen (2009-01-04). "On the Fringe". ScienceNews. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
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