Discovered by NEAT (644) MPC designation (84922) 2003 VS2 Minor planet category Plutino Discovered 14 November 2003 Argument of perihelion 114.317° Orbits Sun | Discovery date 14 November 2003 Alternative names none Observation arc 8830 days (24.18 yr) Inclination 14.777° Mean anomaly 15.535° Discovery site Palomar Observatory | |
 | ||
Discoverer Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking | ||
(84922) 2003 VS2 is a trans-Neptunian object discovered by the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking program on November 14, 2003. Like Pluto, it is in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune, giving it the orbital properties of a plutino. Mike Brown's website lists it as highly likely a dwarf planet. However, Brown assumed that VS2 was much bigger than it really is, and the light-curve analysis has questioned whether it would truly be in the hydrostatic equilibrium.
Contents
Orbit and rotation
Like Pluto, (84922) 2003 VS2 is locked in the 3:2 mean-motion resonance with Neptune, although its orbit is significantly less eccentric than Pluto's. It also has slightly smaller orbital inclination.
(84922) 2003 VS2 has a significant light-curve amplitude of 6999210000000000000♠0.21±0.01. The most likely value of the rotation period is 7004266760000000000♠7.41±0.02 h.
Physical characteristics
(84922) 2003 VS2 has a moderately red surface with a moderately red color indexes B−V=0.93, V−R=0.59. Its geometrical albedo is about 15%.
In 2007, its diameter was initially estimated by the Spitzer Space Telescope at 7005725000000000000♠725±200 km. However, in 2012, this was reduced to 7005523000000000000♠523.0+35.1
−34.4 km after new Herschel Space Telescope observations. The latter measurement is considered more reliable. Assuming a Pluto-like density of 2 g/cm3, one can obtain a mass estimate of about 1.5×1020 kg.