Discovered by Hubble Space Telescope MPC designation 2014 OS393 | Discovery date July 30, 2014 Observation arc 86 days | |
Alternative names MPO 335305, E31007AI, e3, PT2 Minor planet category TransNeptunian Object (TNO) | ||
2014 OS393 (formerly labeled e31007AI in the context of the Hubble Space Telescope, and e3 and PT2 in the context of the New Horizons mission) is a Kuiper belt object (KBO) and formerly a potential flyby target for the New Horizons probe.
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Discovery and naming
2014 OS393 was discovered with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) because the object has a magnitude of 26.3, which is too faint to be observed by ground-based telescopes. Preliminary observations by the HST searching for KBO flyby targets for the New Horizons probe started in June 2014, and more intensive observations continued in July and August. 2014 OS393 was first discovered in observations on July 30, 2014, but it was designated e31007AI at the time, nicknamed e3 for short. Its existence as a potential target of the New Horizons probe was revealed by NASA in October 2014 and designated PT2, but the official name 2014 OS393 was not assigned by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) until March 2015 after better orbit information was available.
Potential targets of the New Horizons mission
After the New Horizons probe completed its flyby of Pluto, the probe is to be manoeuvred to a flyby of at least one Kuiper belt object (KBO). Several potential targets were under consideration for the first such flyby. Potential target PT2, the KBO 2014 OS393, has a diameter between 30–55 km (19–34 mi) and the potential encounter in 2018–2019 would have been at a distance of 43–44 AU from the Sun. The potential targets for the New Horizons probe are PT1 and PT3, the KBOs 2014 MU69 and 2014 PN70, and the probe has sufficient fuel to maneuver to either PT1 or PT3. Potential target PT2 is no longer under consideration as a potential target, and 2014 MT69 was eliminated as a target before the fall of 2014.
On 28 August 2015, the New Horizons team announced the selection of 2014 MU69 as the next flyby target.