Discovered by I. R. Ferrin MPC designation 38628 Huya Alternative names 2000 EB173 Orbital period 248 years Inclination 15.463° Named after Huya | Discovery date 10 March 2000 Pronunciation /huːˈjɑː/ hoo-YAH Minor planet category TNO
Plutino
Kozai Discovered 10 March 2000 Orbits Sun | |
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Discoverer Ignacio Ramón Ferrín Vázquez Similar 28978 Ixion, 20000 Varuna, 90482 Orcus, Solar System, Sun | ||
38628 Huya is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). It is a plutino, being in a 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Neptune. It has a diameter of 458.0±9.2 km, and it is possibly a dwarf planet (icy trans-Neptunian objects with a diameter above around 400 kilometres (250 mi) are expected to be spherical), although the IAU has never classified it as such. Light-curve-amplitude analysis shows only small deviations, suggesting that Huya is likely a spheroid with small albedo spots. As of 2010, astronomer Gonzalo Tancredi thought that Huya was very probably a dwarf planet.
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Discovery
Huya was discovered in March 2000 by Ignacio Ferrin and announced on 24 October 2000. At the time of its discovery, Huya was the brightest (and hence estimated to be the biggest) trans-Neptunian object found since Pluto. It was found using data collected at the CIDA Observatory in Venezuela.
Naming
It was named Huya, after Juyá the Wayuu rain god, in August 2003 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Physical characteristics
The Spitzer Space Telescope has estimated Huya to be about 530 kilometres (330 mi) in diameter with a low albedo of around 0.05. The later termination, based on a combination of Spitzer and Herschel measurements, yielded a smaller size of 7002458700000000000♠458.7±9.2 km. Taking into account that Huya is a binary the diameter of the primary is estimated at 7002406000000000000♠406±16 km.
Huya has a moderately red-sloped reflectance spectrum in the visible and near-infrared, suggesting a surface rich in organic material such as tholins. There is a broad absorption feature near 2 μm possibly belonging to water ice or some water-altered material. Additional absorption features may be present near 0.6–0.8 μm, which may be caused by aqueously-altered anhydrous silicates.
Orbit and rotation
Huya is currently 28.5 AU from the Sun and it came to perihelion in December 2014. This means that it is currently inside the orbit of the planet Neptune. Like Pluto, this plutino spends part of its orbit closer to the Sun than Neptune, even though their orbits are controlled by Neptune. Huya will be closer to the Sun than Neptune until about July 2029. Simulations by the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES) show that, over the next 10 million years, Huya can acquire a perihelion distance (qmin) as small as 27.28 AU. Plutinos (15875) 1996 TP66 and (120216) 2004 EW95 get even closer to the Sun.
Given the long orbit that TNOs have around the Sun, Huya comes to opposition in early May of each year at an apparent magnitude of 19.3.
Huya has been observed 131 times, with precovery images back to 1996. The rotation period of Huya is unknown: although a value of 13.50 hours has been tentatively obtained from fragmentary light curve data, it may well be completely erroneous.
Satellite
A satellite, reported in IAU Circular 9253 on 12 July 2012, was discovered by Keith S. Noll, William M. Grundy, Hilke E. Schlichting, Ruth Murray-Clay and Susan D. Benecchi from Hubble Space Telescope observations obtained on 6 May 2012 and confirmed in reexamination of Hubble Space Telescope imagery from 30 June-1 July 2012. It has an estimated diameter of 7002213000000000000♠213±30 km and a separation of 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) from primary. Its provisional designation is S/2012 38628 Huya 1.