Alternative names 1998 SG35 Observation arc 5393 days (14.77 yr) Discovered 19 September 1998 Orbits Sun | Discovery date 19 September 1998 Minor planet category centaur Aphelion 10.908 AU (1.6318 Tm) Inclination 15.665° Asteroid group Centaur | |
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Discovery site Kitt Peak National Observatory Similar Sun, 60558 Echeclus, Solar System, 10199 Chariklo, 52975 Cyllarus | ||
52872 Okyrhoe (/əˈkɪroʊ.iː/; from Greek: Ωκυρόη, Ωκυρρόη) is a centaur orbiting in the outer Solar System between Jupiter and Saturn. It was discovered on September 19, 1998, by Spacewatch.
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Orbit
Centaurs have short dynamical lives due to strong interactions with the giant planets. Okyrhoe (1998 SG35) is estimated to have an orbital half-life of about 670 kiloannum.
Of objects listed as a centaur by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), JPL, and the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES), Okyrhoe has the second smallest perihelion distance of a numbered centaur. Numbered centaur (315898) 2008 QD4 has a smaller perihelion distance.
Sublimation
Okyrhoe passed perihelion in early 2008, and exhibited important magnitude variations during March and April 2008. This could be a sign of sublimation of volatiles.
Name
It was named after Ocyrhoe, Greek mythology.