Discovery of the first retrograde transneptunian object
Open accessAbstract
We report the discovery of the first transneptunian object known to be on a retrograde orbit. The discovery was made during an outer solar system survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). After recovery observations on the MMT, CTIO-Blanco, Gemini-South, and CFHT telescopes, we can state with certainty that the object is both transneptunian and orbits the Sun in a retrograde sense, with an orbital inclination i = 104 deg. The object has IAU Minor Planet Center provisional designation 2008 KV 42 and temporary nickname "Drac." Numerical integration of a set of initial states consistent with the astrometry shows that the semimajor axis is a ≃ 42 AU, the perihelion distance is q ∼21 AU, and that the object's orbit evolves on ∼30 million year timescales via gravitational encounters with Uranus and Neptune. The object is unlikely to be primordial and thus needs a supply mechanism from a long-lived source. We outline several scenarios which could have emplaced the object on its current orbit, including a currently unobserved reservoir of large-inclination orbits beyond Neptune which may also supply the Halley-type comets.
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The more finely-tuned simulation suite of Nesvorný (2015b) boosts the upper envelope of the inclination distribution to i ~ 40 deg, but perpendicular and strongly retrograde objects such as Drac, Niku, and other long-period Centaurs are never produced in these calculations.
“While the more finely-tuned simulation suite of Nesvorn´ y (2015b) boost the upper envelope of the inclination distribution to i 40 deg, perpendicular and strongly retrograde objects such as Drac (Gladman et al., 2009), Niku (Chen et al., 2016) as well other long-period Centaurs (Gomes et al., 2015) are never produced in these calculations.”
From The planet nine hypothesis (2019) · cites this paper as Gladman et al., 2009
P9-induced dynamics significantly boosts the inclination dispersion of comparatively short-period TNOs, providing a natural explanation for nearly orthogonal orbits such as those of Drac and Niku.
“First, P9-induced dynamics significantly boosts the inclination dispersion of comparatively short-period TNOs, providing a natural explanation for the existence of nearly orthogonal orbits, such as those of Drac (Gladman et al., 2009) and Niku (Chen et al., 2016).”
From The planet nine hypothesis (2019) · cites this paper as Gladman et al., 2009
Cites
Discovery of a Candidate Inner Oort Cloud Planetoid
Brown, M. E., Trujillo, C., & Rabinowitz, D. (2004) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1086/422095 · Cited by 242 · see citing works
Evidence for an Extended Scattered Disk
Gladman, B., Holman, M., Grav, T., Kavelaars, J., Nicholson, P., Aksnes, K., & Petit, J.-M. (2002) · Icarus · doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6860 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Self-citationMorbidelli, A., & Levison, H. F. (2004) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.1086/424617 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
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Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System
Batygin, K., & Brown, M. E. (2016) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
“Gladman et al. (2009) has suggested that the presence of highly inclined KBOs such as Drac point to a more extensive reservoir of such bodies within the Kuiper belt.”
BackgroundTHE CANADA-FRANCE ECLIPTIC PLANE SURVEY—FULL DATA RELEASE: THE ORBITAL STRUCTURE OF THE KUIPER BELT
Petit, J.-M., Kavelaars, J. J., Gladman, B. J., Jones, R. L., Parker, J. W., Van Laerhoven, C., Nicholson, P., Mars, G., Rousselot, P., Mousis, O., et al. (2011) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/131 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
Self-citationBatygin, K., Adams, F. C., Brown, M. E., & Becker, J. C. (2019) · Physics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2019.01.009 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
“Drawing on previously published results (Brown and Batygin 2016; Hadden et al. 2018; Cáceres & Gomes 2018 and the references therein), simulations in which Planet Nine’s perihelion distance was smaller than q9 6 100 AU or greater than q9 > 500 AU were immediately discarded.”
BackgroundInfluentialNew Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects: Toward a Super-Earth in the Outer Solar System
Sheppard, S. S., & Trujillo, C. (2016) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/152/6/221 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
PROPERTIES OF THE DISTANT KUIPER BELT: RESULTS FROM THE PALOMAR DISTANT SOLAR SYSTEM SURVEY
Schwamb, M. E., Brown, M. E., Rabinowitz, D. L., & Ragozzine, D. (2010) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/720/2/1691 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Gomes, R. S., Soares, J. S., & Brasser, R. (2015) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.06.020 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Consequences of a Distant Massive Planet on the Large Semimajor Axis Trans-Neptunian Objects
Shankman, C., Kavelaars, J. J., Lawler, S. M., Gladman, B. J., & Bannister, M. T. (2017) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/2/63 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Self-citationGeneration of Low-inclination, Neptune-crossing Trans-Neptunian Objects by Planet Nine
Batygin, K., Morbidelli, A., Brown, M. E., & Nesvorný, D. (2024) · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad3cd2 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gladman, B., Kavelaars, J., Petit, J.-M., Ashby, M. L. N., Parker, J., Coffey, J., Jones, R. L., Rousselot, P., & Mousis, O.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (CA)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Southwest Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gladman, B.
- Venue
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2009-05-04
- Volume
- 697
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- L91-L94
- ISSN
- 0004-637X (ISSN-L)
- 1538-4357
- OpenAlex
- W2150493261
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Astrophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- NPARC (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Satellite Systems and Control
- Keywords
- retrograde orbits, trans-Neptunian objects, orbital inclination, orbital evolution, Halley-type comets, astrometry
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