Mystery object in weird orbit beyond Neptune cannot be expla

[fred8615]

Since this object appears to be less than 200 kilometers in diameter I figured it should be in the asteroid category.

“I hope everyone has buckled their seatbelts because the outer solar system just got a lot weirder.” That’s what Michele Bannister, an astronomer at Queens University, Belfast tweeted on Monday.

She was referring to the discovery of a TNO or trans-Neptunian object, something which sits beyond Neptune in the outer solar system. This one is 160,000 times fainter than Neptune, which means the icy world could be less than 200 kilometres in diameter. It’s currently above the plane of the solar system and with every passing day, it’s moving upwards – a fact that makes it an oddity.

The TNO orbits in a plane that’s tilted 110 degrees to the plane of the solar system. What’s more, it swings around the sun backwards unlike most of the other objects in the solar system. With this in mind, the team that discovered the TNO nicknamed it “Niku” after the Chinese adjective for rebellious.

Full article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/21 ... explained/

[Christopher K.]

The object 2015 TG387 may not no be inherently weird, but it does have the nickname "Goblin" as it was discovered not long before Halloween 2015. Some still believe its particulars may help accelerate the success of the search of the Neptune-massed so-called Planet X.

More information:
https://www.space.com/41995-dwarf-plane ... -nine.html