Quaoar - Revision history

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{{Otheruses4|the trans-Neptunian object|the Tongva god|Quaoar (deity)}}
{{Minor Planet |
name=Quaoar
| discoverer=[[Chad Trujillo]], [[Michael E. Brown]]
| discovery_date=[[June 4]], [[2002]]
| designations=2002 LM60
| category=[[Kuiper belt]]
| epoch=[[October 22]], [[2004]] ([[Julian day|JD]] 2453300.5)
| semimajor=6493.296 [[Giga|G]][[metre|m]] (43.405 [[Astronomical unit|AU]])
| perihelion=6270.316 Gm (41.914 AU)
| aphelion=6716.275 Gm (44.896 AU)
| eccentricity=0.034
| period=104449.918 [[day|d]] (285.97 [[Julian year (astronomy)|a]])
| inclination=7.983[[degree (angle)|Â°]]
| asc_node=188.791Â°
| arg_peri=154.850Â°
| mean_anomaly=273.737Â°
| speed=4.52 km/[[second|s]]
| dimensions=989 - 1346 km
| mass=1.0-2.6Ã—1021 [[kilogram|kg]]
| density=2.0? g/[[cubic centimetre|cmÂ³]]
| gravity=0.276-0.376 m/sÂ²
| escape_velocity=0.523-0.712 km/s
| rotation=? d
| spectral_class=?
| abs_mag=2.6
| albedo=0.10
| temperature=~43 [[kelvin|K]]}}
[[Image:Quaoar.jpg|300px|thumb|Artist's impression by G. Bacon of STScI / NASA]]

'''Quaoar''' is a [[Trans-Neptunian object]] orbiting the Sun in the [[Kuiper belt|Edgeworth-Kuiper belt]]. It was discovered on [[June 4]], [[2002]] by astronomers [[Chad Trujillo]] and [[Michael E. Brown|Michael Brown]] at the [[California Institute of Technology]] in [[Pasadena, California]] from images acquired at the Samuel Oschin Telescope at [[Palomar Observatory]]. This discovery was announced on [[October 7]], [[2002]], at a meeting of the [[American Astronomical Society]]. The earliest [[precovery]] turned out to be a [[May 25]], [[1954]] plate from [[Palomar Observatory]].

Quaoar is estimated to have a diameter of about [[1 E6 m|1,200 kilometres]], which at the time of discovery made it the largest object found in the [[solar system]] since [[Pluto (planet)|Pluto]] and, indeed, then the largest known [[minor planet]] (it was later supplanted by [[Sedna]] and {{2003 UB313}}). Quaoar's volume is somewhat more than all of the [[asteroid]]s put together, it is about one tenth the diameter of [[Earth]] or one third the diameter of the [[Moon]]. It is about one-third the size of [[Pluto]]. It orbits at about [[1 E12 m|6]] thousand million kilometres from the [[Sun]] with an orbital period of [[1 E9 s|286 years]].

The planetoid's name follows [[International Astronomical Union]] rules by naming all [[planetoid]]s after [[creation deity|creation deities]] (see [[planetary nomenclature]]). "[[Quaoar (deity)|Quaoar]]" is the name of a creation deity of the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[Tongva]] people, native to the area around [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], where the discovery was named. The IAU approved the name Quaoar, making it the official name; it also has the [[provisional designation]] '''{{mp|2002 LM|60}}'''.

Quaoar has a more typical planetary orbit than Pluto does -- a near-circular orbit with a radius of somewhat over 40 [[astronomical unit|AU]], unlike Pluto's highly eccentric one. Like [[Neptune (planet)|Neptune]], Quaoar's orbit lies between Pluto's [[perihelion]] and [[aphelion]], so that Pluto is closer to the [[Sun]] than Quaoar at some times of its year, and farther at others.

Quaoar is believed to be a mixture of rock and ice, like other [[Kuiper Belt Object]]s; however its extremely low [[albedo]] (estimated at 0.1) indicates that the ice has disappeared from its outer layers. If the ''[[New Horizons]]'' mission visits several Kuiper Belt Objects after visiting Pluto in [[2015]], our knowledge of such things may greatly improve.

In [[2004]], scientists were surprised to find signs of [[crystal]]line [[ice]] on Quaoar, indicating that the temperature rose to at least −160 [[Celsius|Â°C]] (110 K or −260 [[Fahrenheit|Â°F]]) sometime in the last ten million years. Speculation began as to what could have caused Quaoar to heat up from its natural temperature of −220 Â°C (55 K or −360 Â°F). Some have theorized that a barrage of mini-[[meteor]]s may have raised the temperature, but the most discussed theory speculates that [[Cryovolcano|cryovolcanism]] may be occurring, spurred by the decay of [[radioactive]] elements within Quaoar's core. (Jewitt & Luu, 2004)

==References==
* {{Journal reference | Author=Jewitt DC, Luu J | Title=Crystalline water ice on the Kuiper belt object (50000) Quaoar | Journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] | Volume=432 | Issue=7018 | Year=2004 | Pages=731-3}} PMID 15592406

==External links==
* [http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~chad/quaoar/ Quaoar discoverers' webpage]
*[http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db?sstr=Quaoar Orbit simulation from NASA JPL site]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/science/09ice.html?ex=1260334800&en=9326ecdbb6f20b0a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland* Astronomers Contemplate Icy Volcanoes in Far Places] - [[New York Times]] article
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/07/1033538894512.html Quaoar, the newest planet . . . or is it?] - article in an Australian science magazine
* [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/1003_021007_quaoar.html New Planet-Shaped Body Found in Our Solar System ] - article in National Geographic
*[http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/12/08/volcano.neptune/index.html Volcanism possible on planet-like Quaoar] - CNN.com
*[http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/pf/041206-7_pf.html Chilly Quaoar had a warmer past ] - Nature.com article
*[http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/quaoar.html Crystalline Ice on Kuiper Belt Object (50000) Quaoar] - article about crystalline ice on Quaoar

{{MinorPlanets Navigator|(49999) 2000 AW14|(50001) 2000 AK15}}
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← Older revision		Revision as of 21:38, 6 February 2006
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−	~~{{Otheruses4\|the trans-Neptunian object\|the Tongva god\|Quaoar (deity)}}~~
−	~~{{Minor Planet \|~~
−	~~name=Quaoar~~
−	~~\| discoverer=[[Chad Trujillo]],<br>[[Michael E. Brown]]~~
−	~~\| discovery_date=[[June 4]], [[2002]]~~
−	~~\| designations=2002 LM<sub>60</sub>~~
−	~~\| category=[[Kuiper belt]]~~
−	~~\| epoch=[[October 22]], [[2004]] ([[Julian day\|JD]] 2453300.5)~~
−	~~\| semimajor=6493.296 [[Giga\|G]][[metre\|m]] (43.405 [[Astronomical unit\|AU]])~~
−	~~\| perihelion=6270.316 Gm (41.914 AU)~~
−	~~\| aphelion=6716.275 Gm (44.896 AU)~~
−	~~\| eccentricity=0.034~~
−	~~\| period=104449.918 [[day\|d]] (285.97 [[Julian year (astronomy)\|a]])~~
−	~~\| inclination=7.983[[degree (angle)\|Â°]]~~
−	~~\| asc_node=188.791Â°~~
−	~~\| arg_peri=154.850Â°~~
−	~~\| mean_anomaly=273.737Â°~~
−	~~\| speed=4.52 km/[[second\|s]]~~
−	~~\| dimensions=989 - 1346 km~~
−	~~\| mass=1.0-2.6Ã—10<sup>21</sup> [[kilogram\|kg]]~~
−	~~\| density=2.0? g/[[cubic centimetre\|cmÂ³]]~~
−	~~\| gravity=0.276-0.376 m/sÂ²~~
−	~~\| escape_velocity=0.523-0.712 km/s~~
−	~~\| rotation=? d~~
−	~~\| spectral_class=?~~
−	~~\| abs_mag=2.6~~
−	~~\| albedo=0.10~~
−	~~\| temperature=~43 [[kelvin\|K]]}}~~
−	~~[[Image:Quaoar.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|Artist's impression by G. Bacon of STScI / NASA]]~~
−
	'''Quaoar''' is a [[Trans-Neptunian object]] orbiting the Sun in the [[Kuiper belt\|Edgeworth-Kuiper belt]]. It was discovered on [[June 4]], [[2002]] by astronomers [[Chad Trujillo]] and [[Michael E. Brown\|Michael Brown]] at the [[California Institute of Technology]] in [[Pasadena, California]] from images acquired at the Samuel Oschin Telescope at [[Palomar Observatory]]. This discovery was announced on [[October 7]], [[2002]], at a meeting of the [[American Astronomical Society]]. The earliest [[precovery]] turned out to be a [[May 25]], [[1954]] plate from [[Palomar Observatory]].		'''Quaoar''' is a [[Trans-Neptunian object]] orbiting the Sun in the [[Kuiper belt\|Edgeworth-Kuiper belt]]. It was discovered on [[June 4]], [[2002]] by astronomers [[Chad Trujillo]] and [[Michael E. Brown\|Michael Brown]] at the [[California Institute of Technology]] in [[Pasadena, California]] from images acquired at the Samuel Oschin Telescope at [[Palomar Observatory]]. This discovery was announced on [[October 7]], [[2002]], at a meeting of the [[American Astronomical Society]]. The earliest [[precovery]] turned out to be a [[May 25]], [[1954]] plate from [[Palomar Observatory]].

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