2021 DR15

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2021 DR15
2021 DR15 imaged by Cerro Tololo Observatory's Dark Energy Camera on 30 April 2013
Discovery[1]
Discovered byS. S. Sheppard
D. J. Tholen
C. Trujillo
Discovery siteMauna Kea Obs.
Discovery date17 February 2021
Designations
2021 DR15
TNO[2] · SDO[3] · distant[4]
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 21 January 2022 (JD 2459600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 5
Observation arc16.74 yr (6,115 days)
Earliest precovery date10 March 2005
Aphelion96.518 AU
Perihelion37.824 AU
67.171 AU
Eccentricity0.4369
551 yr
334.122°
0° 0m 6.445s / day
Inclination30.691
334.122
21.846
Physical characteristics
530–850 km (for albedo = est. 0.1–0.2)[5]
23.2[1]
3.61±0.15[2]

2021 DR15 is a large trans-Neptunian object in the scattered disc, estimated to be around 600 to 800 kilometres (400 to 500 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 February 2021, by American astronomers Scott Sheppard, David Tholen, and Chad Trujillo using the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope of the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, and announced on 17 December 2021.[1] With an absolute magnitude of between 3.4 and 3.8, it may be the brightest known object in the Solar System that does not have a directly measured size. It was 89.4 astronomical units from the Sun when it was discovered, making it the ninth-most distant known Solar System object from the Sun as of December 2021.[1] It has been identified in several precovery images as far back as 10 March 2005.[2]

2021 DR15 has not yet been imaged by high-resolution telescopes, so it has no known moons.[6] The Hubble Space Telescope is planned to image 2021 DR15 in 2026, which should determine if it has significantly sized moons.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "MPEC 2021-Y28 : 2021 DR15". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2021 DR15)" (2021-12-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. ^ "List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b "2021 DR15". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Asteroid Size Estimator". Center for Near Earth Object Studies. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b Proudfoot, Benjamin (August 2025). "A Search For The Moons of Mid-Sized TNOs". Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Space Telescope Science Institute: HST Proposal 18010. Cycle 33. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
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