20000 Varuna
| Discovery A | |
|---|---|
| Discoverer | R. McMillan (Spacewatch) |
| Discovery Date | 28 November 2000 |
| Alternate Designations | 2000 WR106 B |
| Category | Kuiper belt |
| Orbital Elements C Epoch 14 July 2004 (JD 2453200.5) | |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.051 |
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 6451.398 Gm (43.129 AU) |
| Perihelion (q) | 6120.810 Gm (40.915 AU) |
| Aphelion (Q) | 6781.985 Gm (45.335 AU) |
| Orbital Period (P) | 103440.6 days (283.20 years) |
| Mean Orbital Speed | 4.53 km/s |
| Inclination (i) | 17.2° |
| Longitude of the Ascending Node (Ω) | 97.296° |
| Argument of Perihelion (ω) | 271.631° |
| Mean Anomaly (M) | 89.673° |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 530 +90 −110 km radius |
| Mass | ~5.9 × 1020 kg |
| Density | ~1 g/cm³ |
| Surface Gravity | 0.15 m/s² |
| Escape Velocity | 0.39 km/s |
| Rotation Period | 0.26432 days (3.17 hours) |
| Spectral Class | |
| Absolute Magnitude | 3.7 |
| Albedo | 0.038 +0.022 −0.010 |
| Mean Surface Temperature | ~43 K |
20000 Varuna ("VAR oo na") is a Kuiper Belt object about 1060 kilometers in diameter, estimated from a combination of thermal and optical measurements.
Little is known about Varuna. It has a rotational period of approximately 3.17 hours (or 6.34 hours, depending on whether the light curve is single or double-peaked). It has a density of approximately 1 g/cm3 (as dense as water), which implies that it may not be a fully solid body [1].
It is named after the Hindu god Varuna. It previously had the provisional designation 2000 WR106.
External links
Categories: Trans-Neptunian objects