2013 AZ60

2013 AZ60 is a small Solar System body (extended centaur)[4] from the scattered disk or inner Oort cloud. 2013 AZ60 has the 8th-largest semi-major axis of a minor planet not detected outgassing like a comet[7] (2013 BL76, 2005 VX3 and 2012 DR30 have a larger semi-major axis).

2013 AZ60
Discovery[1]
Discovered byMt. Lemmon Survey
Discovery date10 January 2013
Designations
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 1
Observation arc5.20 yr
Aphelion1,116.9 AU (167.09 Tm) (Q)
Perihelion7.920 AU (1.1848 Tm) (q)
562 AU (84.1 Tm) (a)
Eccentricity0.98592 (e)
13339 yr
0.07458° (M)
0.000050074°/day (n)
Inclination16.532° (i)
349.20° (Ω)
158.42° (ω)
Known satellites0
Jupiter MOID2.58 AU (386 Gm)
Saturn MOID1.20 AU (180 Gm)[4]
Physical characteristics
Dimensions
9.39±0.22 h[6]
0.029[6]
19.8
10.2[4][3]

    2013 AZ60 came to perihelion in November 2014 at a distance of 7.9 AU from the Sun (inside of the orbit of Saturn). With an absolute magnitude (H) of 10.2,[4] 2013 AZ60 has an estimated diameter of 40 km.[5] Comet Hale–Bopp, which is roughly the same size, was not discovered until it was 7.2 AU from the Sun and had started outgassing CO. 2013 AZ60 may be discovered to be cometary as it comes to perihelion. It comes to opposition at the start of April.

    After leaving the planetary region of the Solar System, 2013 AZ60 will have a barycentric aphelion of 827 AU with an orbital period of 8500 years. In a 10 million year integration of the orbit, one of the 3-sigma clones is ejected from the Solar System.[2]

    Orbital evolution
    EpochBarycentric
    Aphelion (Q)
    (AU)    		Orbital
    period
    yr
    1950126116000
    20508278500

    Physical characteristics and orbit

    A 2016 study found 2013 AZ60 to have a comet-like albedo of 2.9% (darker than any other known ejected centaur) and a color typical of D-type asteroids. It is unknown if it is a so-called "super comet" or an extinct comet, considering its large distance from the Sun. It was also determined that 2013 AZ60 has a diameter of 62.3±5.3 kilometers, larger than initially believed. A light curve analysis found it to have a rotation period of 9.39±0.22 hours, typical of asteroids its size. No significant satellites were detected.

    It was also found that 2013 AZ60 is on an extremely unstable orbit, with a ~64% chance of being ejected from the Solar system in 1 million years, and a ~25% chance of being ejected in the next 500,000 years, as well as a 4.2% chance of its orbit venturing into the neighborhood of Earth.[6]

    Comparison
    The orbits of Sedna, 2012 VP113, Leleākūhonua, and other very distant objects along with the predicted orbit of Planet Nine. The three sednoids (pink) along with the red-colored extreme trans-Neptunian object (eTNO) orbits are suspected to be aligned with the hypothetical Planet Nine while the blue-colored eTNO orbits are anti-aligned. The highly elongated orbits colored brown include centaurs and damocloids with large aphelion distances over 200 AU.

    See also
    Have very large aphelion

    References
    1. "2013 AZ60". Seicchi Yoshida's Home Page. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
    2. Marc W. Buie. "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 13AZ60". SwRI – Space Science Department. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
    3. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2013 AZ60)" (last observation: 2016-01-08; arc: 2.99 yr). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
    4. "2013 AZ60 Orbit". IAU minor planet center. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
    5. "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
    6. Pál, Andras (20 July 2016). "Physical properties of the extreme centaur and super-comet candidate 2013 AZ60". Astronomy & Astrophysics. arXiv:1507.05468.
    7. "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: Asteroids and a > 100 (AU)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
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