Discovered by Spacewatch Alternative names 1998 SG35 Observation arc 5393 days (14.77 yr) Discovered 19 September 1998 Orbits Sun Discoverer Spacewatch | Discovery date 19 September 1998 Minor planet category centaur Aphelion 10.908 AU (1.6318 Tm) Inclination 15.665° Asteroid group Centaur | |
 | ||
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.
Contents
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.