(

provisional designation Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...

) is a

trans-Neptunian object A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU). ...

and damocloid from the outer Solar System. Its orbit is retrograde motion, retrograde and comet-like, and has a high orbital eccentricity, eccentricity. It was discovered on 4 September 2002 by astronomers with the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search, LONEOS survey at Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, in the United States. The Unusual minor planet, unusual object measures approximately in diameter and is likely elongated in shape. It is a List of slow rotators (minor planets), slow rotator and potentially a List of tumblers (small Solar System bodies), tumbler as well. The object was probably ejected from the ecliptic by Neptune.

Orbit and classification

is a member of the damocloids, with a retrograde orbit and a negative Tisserand's parameter, T_Jupiter of −0.8340. It is also a

, as its orbit has a semi-major axis larger than that of Neptune (30.1 Astronomical unit, AU). The Minor Planet Center lists it as a critical object, Centaur (minor planet), centaur, and (other) unusual minor planet due to an orbital eccentricity of more than 0.5. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.5–105 AU once every 396 years (semi-major axis of 53.92 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.95 and an orbital inclination, inclination of 119Degree (angle), ° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken by Astrovirtel at ESO's La Silla Observatory in February 2001, or 19 months prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa Station, Anderson Mesa.

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was Minor planet designation, permanently numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 14 June 2003 (). As of 2018, it has not been List of named minor planets (alphabetical), named.

Physical characteristics

The object has a Distant object color indices, B–R magnitude of 1.37, typical for most List of minor-planet groups, dynamical groups in the outer Solar System.

Rotation period

In October 2010, a rotational lightcurve of was obtained from Photometry (astronomy), photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy (astronomer), René Roy . Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 200 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.6 Magnitude (astronomy), magnitude, indicative of an elongated, non-spherical shape (). With a rotation period above 100 hours, it is a typical List of slow rotators (minor planets), slow rotator.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey of minor-planet albedos of bodies in a comet-like orbit, carried out by Yanga R. Fernández, Yanga Fernández in collaboration with David C. Jewitt, David Jewitt and Scott Sheppard at the Institute for Astronomy (Hawaii), Institute for Astronomy, Hawaii, measures 14.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an astronomical albedo, albedo of 0.098. Johnston's archive gives a rounded figure of 15 kilometers.

References

External links

List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects
''Minor Planet Center''
(65407) 2002 RP120
Small Bodies Data Ferret * * {{DEFAULTSORT:2002 RP120 Damocloids, 065407 Unusual minor planets, 065407 Discoveries by LONEOS, 065407 Slow rotating minor planets, 065407 Astronomical objects discovered in 2002, 20020904 Minor planets with a retrograde orbit