2011 JY31

Binary Kuiper belt object

2011 JY₃₁ is a binary trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It is a cold classical Kuiper belt object. 2011 JY₃₁ was discovered on 4 May 2011, by a team of astronomers using one of the Magellan Telescopes in Chile during the New Horizons KBO Search for a potential flyby target for the New Horizons spacecraft.^[2] Distant observations by New Horizons from September 2018 revealed its binary nature, showing two 68 km (42 mi)-wide components in a tight, mutual orbit 200 km (120 mi) apart.^[8]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet has not been numbered by the Minor Planet Center and remains unnamed.^[1]

Physical parameters

High resolution observation by the New Horizons spacecraft made it possible to estimate the parameters of the binary orbit and the system mass. Assuming that the orbit is circular the period is 46.62±0.06 h, semimajor axis is 198.6±2.9 km and the system mass is about 1.7×10¹⁷ kg. The components are approximately equal in size and are approximately 68 km in size assuming density of 0.5 kg/cm³.^[8]

The discovery adds support to streaming instability as the dominant mechanism in the formation of tight and contact binary planetesimals such as 486958 Arrokoth, which appear to be prevalent in the cold classical Kuiper belt population.^[11]^[12]^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "2011 JY31". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b Tholen, D. J.; Buie, M. W.; Trilling, D.; Spencer, J.; Borncamp, D. M.; Osip, D. J.; Kavelaars, J.; Fuentes, C. I.; Schechter, P. L.; McLeod, B. A.; Conroy, M.; Parker, A. H.; Sheppard, S. S.; Williams, G. V. (11 December 2012). "MPEC 2012-X60 : 2011 JY31". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 2012-X60. Minor Planet Center. Bibcode:2012MPEC....X...60T. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
^ Benecchi, Susan (October 2011). "Orbital Refinement and Characterization of New Horizons KBO candidates – HST Proposal 12535". Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Space Telescopes Science Institute: 12535. Bibcode:2011hst..prop12535B. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Porter, Simon B.; Spencer, John R.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Benecchi, Susan; Weaver, Hal A.; Wen Lin, Hsing; et al. (January 2022). "Orbits and Occultation Opportunities of 15 TNOs Observed by New Horizons". The Planetary Science Journal. 3 (1): 19. Bibcode:2022PSJ.....3...23P. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac3491.
^ ^a ^b ^c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2011 JY31)" (2016-06-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^ Johnston, Wm. Robert (29 August 2021). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Weaver, H. A.; Porter, S. B.; Spencer, J. R.; et al. (February 2022). "High Resolution Search for KBO Binaries from New Horizons". The Planetary Science Journal. 3 (46): 17. arXiv:2201.05940. Bibcode:2022PSJ.....3...46W. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac4cb7. S2CID 247088149.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Weaver, H. A.; Porter, S. B.; Spencer, J. R. (1 February 2022). "High-resolution Search for Kuiper Belt Object Binaries from New Horizons". The Planetary Science Journal. 3 (2): 46. Bibcode:2022PSJ.....3...46W. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac4cb7.
^ ^a ^b Verbiscer, Anne J.; Porter, Simon; Benecchi, Susan D.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Weaver, Harold A.; Spencer, John R.; et al. (September 2019). "Phase Curves from the Kuiper Belt: Photometric Properties of Distant Kuiper Belt Objects Observed by New Horizons". The Astronomical Journal. 158 (3): 17. arXiv:1405.7181. Bibcode:2019AJ....158..123V. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab3211. S2CID 202150415. 123.
^ ^a ^b Benecchi, S. D.; Noll, K. S.; Weaver, H. A.; Spencer, J. R.; Stern, S. A.; Buie, M. W.; Parker, A. H. (January 2015). "New Horizons: Long-range Kuiper Belt targets observed by the Hubble Space Telescope". Icarus. 246: 369–374. arXiv:1405.7181. Bibcode:2015Icar..246..369B. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.04.014. hdl:2060/20150011460. S2CID 119239605.
^ Weaver, Harold; Porter, Simon; Spencer, John (October 2021). Discovery of Tight Binaries in the Kuiper Belt by New Horizons LORRI. 53rd Annual DPS Meeting. Vol. 53. American Astronomical Society. Bibcode:2021DPS....5330707W. 307.07.
^ Dickinson, David (8 October 2021). "New Horizons Discovers Kuiper Belt "Twins"". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

External links

DPS 53 Wednesday Press Conference (Tight Twins in the Kuiper Belt presentation by Hal Weaver), AAS Press Office, YouTube, 6 October 2021
DPS 53: Days 3, 4, and 5, Kerry Hensley, AAS Nova, 9 October 2021
List of Transneptunian Objects, Minor Planet Center
2011 JY31 at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
2011 JY31 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

Small Solar System bodies

Minor planets

Designation Groups List Moon Meanings of names
Asteroid	Active Aten asteroid Asteroid belt Family Jupiter trojan Near-Earth Spectral types
Distant minor planet	Centaur Neptune trojan Damocloid Trans-Neptunian object Detached Kuiper belt Oort cloud Scattered disc

Comets

Other

New Horizons

Targets

Flybys	132524 APL Jupiter Pluto 486958 Arrokoth
Observations	Neptune and Triton 2011 JY31 2011 KW48 15810 Arawn 28978 Ixion 50000 Quaoar 136108 Haumea 136199 Eris 136472 Makemake (307261) 2002 MS4 (516977) 2012 HZ84 (556416) 2014 OE394 2012 HE85
Rejected	2011 HM102 2014 MT69 2014 OS393 2014 PN70

Spacecraft

Instruments	Alice Long Range Reconnaissance Imager PEPSSI Ralph REX Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter SWAP
Subsystems	GPHS-RTG

Personnel

Institutions	Applied Physics Laboratory Ball Aerospace Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory KinetX Southwest Research Institute Stanford University University of Colorado
People	Frances Bagenal Richard Binzel Alice Bowman Marc Buie Lisa Hardaway Brian May Cathy Olkin Daniel Sarokon Mark Showalter Alan Stern Hal Weaver