Discovered by Kitt Peak MPC designation (120216) 2004 EW95 Observation arc 4818 days (13.19 yr) | Discovery date 14 March 2004 Minor planet category Plutino | |
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Aphelion 52.296 AU (7.8234 Tm) (Q) | ||
(120216) 2004 EW95, provisionally known as 2004 EW95, is a plutino, like Pluto, in a 2:3 resonance with Neptune. For every 2 orbits that a plutino makes, Neptune orbits 3 times.
Inside the orbit of Neptune
EW95 is currently 27.6 AU from the Sun, and will come to perihelion (q=26.95 AU) in 2018. This means that this object is currently inside the orbit of the planet Neptune. Like Pluto, this plutino spends part of its orbit closer to the Sun than Neptune is even though their orbits are controlled by Neptune. Simulations by the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES) show that over the next 10 million years EW95 can acquire a perihelion distance (qmin) as small as 24.8 AU.
Probable dwarf planet Huya and plutino (15875) 1996 TP66 are also currently inside the orbit of Neptune.
EW95 comes within 9 AU of Uranus and stays more than 21 AU from Neptune over a 14,000 year period.
Assuming a generic trans-Neptunian object albedo of 0.09, EW95 is about 175 km in diameter.
It has been observed 44 times over 6 oppositions and has an orbit quality of 2.