Discovery date 1 November 2005 Minor planet category centaur
damocloid Discovered 1 November 2005 Asteroid group Centaur | MPC designation 2005 VD Observation arc 4163 days (11.40 yr) Absolute magnitude 14.3 | |
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Aphelion 8.34161 AU (1.247887 Tm) (Q) Perihelion 4.989394 AU (746.4027 Gm) (q) People also search for 20461 Dioretsa, 60558 Echeclus, Jupiter trojan | ||
(434620) 2005 VD is a centaur and damocloid. It has the second most highly inclined orbit of any known object in the solar system, second to 2013 LA2. It was the most highly inclined known object between 2005 and 2013.
Classification
2005 VD has a semi-major axis greater than Jupiter and almost crosses the orbit of Jupiter when near perihelion. JPL lists it as a current centaur. Both the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES), and the Minor Planet Center (MPC) have listed it as a centaur (qmin=~5AU) at different epochs. The DES and MPC will list as a centaur again in 2032.
Lowell Observatory also has it listed as a damocloid object.
2005 VD makes occasional close approaches to Jupiter, coming only 0.0817 AU from Jupiter in 1903, 0.0444 AU in 2057, and 0.077 AU in 2093. However the closest approach it will make in the next decade will only be 0.3089 AU on December 17, 2022.