Discovered by Hubble Space Telescope MPC designation 2014 PN70 Observation arc 271 days | Discovery date August 6, 2014 Alternative names G12000JZ, g1, PT3 | |
Minor planet category Trans-Neptunian object (TNO) | ||
2014 PN70 (formerly labeled g12000JZ in the context of the Hubble Space Telescope, and g1 and PT3 in the context of the New Horizons mission) is a Kuiper belt object (KBO) and was a proposed flyby target for the New Horizons probe.
Contents
Discovery and naming
2014 PN70 was discovered during an observation campaign intended to search for KBO flyby targets for the New Horizons probe. The observations started in June 2014, and more intensive ones continued in July and August. They were conducted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); 2014 PN70's magnitude of 26.4 is too faint to be observed by ground-based telescopes. 2014 PN70 was first discovered in observations on August 6, 2014, and it was designated g12000JZ at the time, nicknamed g1 for short. Its existence as a potential target of the New Horizons probe was revealed by NASA in October 2014 and it was designated PT3; its official name, 2014 PN70, was not assigned by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) until March 2015 after better orbit information was available.
Characteristics
2014 PN70, has a diameter between 35–120 km (22–75 mi).
Exploration
Having completed its flyby of Pluto, the New Horizons space probe will be maneuvered to a flyby of at least one Kuiper belt object (KBO). Several potential targets were under consideration. 2014 PN70 (PT3) was considered a second choice after 2014 MU69 (PT1), because more fuel was required to carry out a flyby. 2014 OS393 (PT2) was already no longer under consideration as a potential target.
On 28 August 2015, the New Horizons team announced the selection of 2014 MU69 as the next flyby target.