Centaur (minor planet)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Positions of known outer Solar System objects.

The centaurs lie generally inwards of the Kuiper belt and outside the Jupiter
trojans.
Sun
Jupiter trojans (6,178)
Scattered disc (300) Giant planets J S U N
Centaurs (44,000)
Kuiper belt (1,000)
(scale in AU; epoch as of January 2015; # of objects in parenthesis)
Types of distant minor planets
Cis-Neptunian objects
Centaurs
Neptune trojans
Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)
Kuiper belt objects (KBOs)
Classical KBOs (cubewanos)
Resonant KBOs
Plutinos (23 resonance)
Scattered disc objects (SDOs)
Resonant SDOs
Detached objects
Sednoids
Oort cloud objects (ICOOCOs)
Trans-Neptunian dwarf planets are
called plutoids
v t e
Centaurs are small solar system bodies with a semi-major axis between those of the
outer planets. They have unstable orbits because they cross or have crossed the
orbits of one or more of the giant planets; almost all their orbits have dynamic
lifetimes of only a few million years.[1] Centaurs typically behave with
characteristics of both asteroids and comets. They are named after the mythological
centaurs that were a mixture of horse and human. It has been estimated that there
are around 44,000 centaurs in the Solar System with diameters larger than 1 km.[1]

The first centaur to be discovered, under the definition of the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) and the one used here, was 944 Hidalgo in 1920. However, they were
not recognized as a distinct population until the discovery of 2060 Chiron in 1977.
The largest confirmed centaur is 10199 Chariklo, which at 260 km in diameter is as
big as a mid-sized main-belt asteroid, and is known to have a system of rings. It
was discovered in 1997. However, the lost centaur 1995 SN55 may be somewhat larger.

No centaur has been photographed up close, although there is evidence that Saturn's
moon Phoebe, imaged by the Cassini probe in 2004, may be a captured centaur that
originated in the Kuiper belt.[2] In addition, the Hubble Space Telescope has
gleaned some information about the surface features of 8405 Asbolus.

As of 2008, three centaurs have been found to display comet-like comas Chiron,
60558 Echeclus, and 166PNEAT. Chiron and Echeclus are therefore classified as both
asteroids and comets. Other centaurs, such as 52872 Okyrhoe and 2012 CG, are
suspected of having shown comas. Any centaur that is perturbed close enough to the
Sun is expected to become a comet.

Contents [hide]
1 Classification
2 Orbits
2.1 Distribution
2.2 Changing orbits
3 Physical characteristics
3.1 Colours
3.2 Spectra
3.3 Similarities to comets
4 Theories of origin
5 Notable centaurs
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links
Classification[edit]
The generic definition of a centaur is a small body that orbits the Sun between
Jupiter and Neptune and crosses the orbits of one or more of the giant planets. Due
to the inherent long-term instability of orbits in this region, even centaurs such
as 2000 GM137 and 2001 XZ255, which do not currently cross the orbit of any planet,
are in gradually changing orbits that will be perturbed until they start to cross
the orbit of one or more of the giant planets.[1]

However, different institutions have different criteria for classifying borderline

objects, based on particular values of their orbital elements

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) defines centaurs as having a perihelion beyond the
orbit of Jupiter (q 5.2 AU) and a semi-major axis less than that of Neptune (a
30.1 AU).[3] Though nowadays the MPC often lists centaurs and scattered disc
objects together as a single group.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) similarly defines centaurs as having a semi-
major axis, a, between those of Jupiter (5.5 AU a) and Neptune (a 30.1 AU).[4]
In contrast, the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES) defines centaurs using a dynamical
classification scheme. These classifications are based on the simulated change in
behavior of the present orbit when extended over 10 million years. The DES defines
centaurs as non-resonant objects whose instantaneous (osculating) perihelia are
less than the osculating semi-major axis of Neptune at any time during the
simulation. This definition is intended to be synonymous with planet-crossing
orbits and to suggest comparatively short lifetimes in the current orbit.[5]
The collection The Solar System Beyond Neptune (2008) defines objects with a semi-
major axis between those of Jupiter and Neptune and a Jupiter Tisserand's
parameter above 3.05 as centaurs, classifying the objects with a Jupiter
Tisserand's parameter below this and, to exclude Kuiper belt objects, an arbitrary
perihelion cut-off half-way to Saturn (q 7.35) as Jupiter-family comets[note 1]
and classifying those objects on unstable orbits with a semi-major axis larger than
Neptune's as members of the scattered disc.[6] Other astronomers prefer to define
centaurs as objects that are non-resonant with a perihelion inside the orbit of
Neptune that can be shown to likely cross the Hill sphere of a gas giant within the
next 10 million years,[7] so that centaurs can be thought of as objects scattered
inwards and that interact more strongly and scatter more quickly than typical
scattered-disc objects.

The JPL Small-Body Database lists 406 centaurs.[8] There are an additional 97
trans-Neptunian objects (objects with a semi-major axis further than Neptune's,
i.e. a 30.1 AU) with a perihelion closer than the orbit of Uranus (q 19.2 AU).[9]
The Committee on Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union
has not formally weighed in on either side of the debate. Instead, it has adopted
the following naming convention for such objects Befitting their centaur-like
transitional orbits between TNOs and comets, objects on unstable, non-resonant,
giant-planet-crossing orbits with semimajor axes greater than Neptune's are to be
named for other hybrid and shape-shifting mythical creatures. Thus far, only the
binary objects Ceto and Phorcys and Typhon and Echidna have been named according to
the new policy.[10]
Other objects caught between these differences in classification methods include
944 Hidalgo which was discovered in 1920 and is listed as a centaur in the JPL
Small-Body Database. (44594) 1999 OX3, which has a semi-major axis of 32 AU but
crosses the orbits of both Uranus and Neptune is listed as an outer centaur by the
Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES). Among the inner centaurs, (434620) 2005 VD, with a
perihelion distance very near Jupiter, is listed as a centaur by both JPL and DES.

Centaurs with measured diameters listed as possible dwarf planets according to Mike
Brown's website include 10199 Chariklo, 2060 Chiron, and 54598 Bienor.[11]