Astronomy:2012 VP113

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2012 VP113
2012 VP113 imaged by the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope on 9 October 2021
Discovery[1]
Discovered by
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date5 November 2012
Designations
2012 VP113
"Biden" (nickname)
Minor planet category
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 5 May 2025
(JD 2460800.5)
Uncertainty parameter 3[2]
Observation arc16.94 yr (6,187 d)
Earliest precovery date19 September 2007
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}444.1 astronomical unit|AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}80.52 AU
262.3 AU
Eccentricity0.6931
Orbital period4,246 yr[4]
Mean anomaly24.05°
Mean motion0° 0m 0.836s / day
Inclination24.0563°±0.006°
Longitude of ascending node90.80°
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}≈ September 1979[5]
293.90°
Known satellites0
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter450 km (for an assumed albedo of 0.15)[6]
Apparent magnitude23.5[7]
Absolute magnitude (H)4.05[2]


2012 VP113 is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) orbiting the Sun on an extremely distant and markedly elliptical orbit. It is classified as a sednoid because its orbit never comes closer than 80.5 astronomical unit|AU (12.04 billion km; 7.48 billion mi) from the Sun, which is far enough away from the giant planets that their gravitational influence cannot affect the object's orbit noticeably. It was discovered on 5 November 2012 at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, by American astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo, who nicknamed the object "Biden" after the "VP" in its designation.[8] The discovery was announced on 26 March 2014.[6][8] The object's size has not been measured, but its brightness suggests that it is around 450 km (280 mi) in diameter.[6][9] 2012 VP113 has a reddish color similar to many other TNOs.[6]

2012 VP113 has not yet been imaged by high-resolution telescopes, so it has no known moons.[10] The Hubble Space Telescope is planned to image 2012 VP113 in 2026, which should determine if it has significantly sized moons.[10]

History

Discovery

Discovery images of 2012 VP113 taken on 5 November 2012.

2012 VP113 was first reported to have been observed on 5 November 2012[1] with NOAO's 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.[11] Carnegie's 6.5-meter Magellan telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile was used to determine its orbit and surface properties.[11]

Before being announced to the public, 2012 VP113 was only tracked by Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (807) and Las Campanas Observatory (304).[12]

2012 VP113 has been found in precovery images as early as September 2007.[12]

Nickname

2012 VP113 was abbreviated "VP" and nicknamed "Biden" by the discovery team, after Joe Biden who was then the vice president ("VP") of the United States.[8]

Physical characteristics

2012 VP113 has an absolute magnitude of 4.05,[2][12] which means it may be large enough to be a dwarf planet.[13] The diameter and geometric albedo of 2012 VP113 has not been measured yet.[6][9] Under the assumption that 2012 VP113 has a moderate geometric albedo of 0.15 (typical of TNOs), its diameter would be around 450 km (280 mi).[6] A wider range of albedos gives a possible diameter range of 300–1,000 km (190–620 mi).[9] It is expected to be about half the size of Sedna and similar in size to Huya.[9] Its surface is moderately red in color, resulting from chemical changes produced by the effect of radiation on frozen water, methane, and carbon dioxide.[14] This optical color is consistent with formation in the gas-giant region and not the classical Kuiper belt, which is dominated by ultra-red colored objects.[6]

Orbit and classification

Orbital diagrams of 2012 VP113 with Pluto and the outer planets as of 2017

2012 VP113 has the farthest perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) of all known minor planets and all known objects in the Solar System as of 2025, greater than Sedna's.[15] Though its perihelion is farther, 2012 VP113 has an aphelion only about half of Sedna's. It is the second discovered sednoid, with a semi-major axis beyond 150 astronomical unit|AU and a perihelion greater than 50 AU. The similarity of the orbit of 2012 VP113 to other known extreme trans-Neptunian objects led Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo to suggest that an undiscovered object, Planet Nine, in the outer Solar System is shepherding these distant objects into similar type orbits.[6]

Its last perihelion was within a couple months of September 1979.[5] The paucity of bodies with perihelia at 50–75 AU appears not to be an observational artifact and is known as the Kuiper cliff.[6]

2012 VP113 is possibly a member of a hypothesized Hills cloud.[9][11][16] It has a perihelion, argument of perihelion, and current position in the sky similar to those of Sedna.[9] In fact, all known Solar System bodies with semi-major axes over 150 AU and perihelia greater than Neptune's have arguments of perihelion clustered near 340°±55°.[6] This could indicate a similar formation mechanism for these bodies.[6] (148209) 2000 CR105 was the first such object to be discovered.

It is currently unknown how 2012 VP113 acquired a perihelion distance beyond the Kuiper belt. The characteristics of its orbit, like those of Sedna's, have been explained as possibly created by a passing star or a trans-Neptunian planet of several Earth masses hundreds of astronomical units from the Sun.[17] The orbital architecture of the trans-Plutonian region may signal the presence of more than one planet.[18][19] 2012 VP113 could even be captured from another planetary system.[13] However, it is considered more likely that the perihelion of 2012 VP113 was raised by multiple interactions within the crowded confines of the open star cluster in which the Sun formed.[9]

  • Simulated view showing the orbit of 2012 VP113
    Simulated view showing the orbit of 2012 VP113
  • 2012 VP113 orbit in white with hypothetical Planet Nine
    2012 VP113 orbit in white with hypothetical Planet Nine
  • The orbits of known distant objects with large aphelion distances over 200 AU
    The orbits of known distant objects with large aphelion distances over 200 AU

See also

Other large aphelion objects

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "MPEC 2014-F40 : 2012 VP113". IAU Minor Planet Center. 26 March 2014. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K14/K14F40.html.  (K12VB3P)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2012 VP113)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3666493. 
  3. ↑ Johnston, Wm. Robert (7 October 2018). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/tnoslist.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris for (2012 VP113) at epoch JD 2460800.5". JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND='2012%20VP113'&TABLE_TYPE='ELEMENTS'&START_TIME='JD2460800.5'&STOP_TIME='JD2460801.5'&STEP_SIZE='1y'&CENTER='@0'&OUT_UNITS='AU-D'. Retrieved 2025-07-15.  Solution using the Solar System Barycenter. Ephemeris Type: Elements and Center: @0)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Horizons Batch for 2012 VP113 on 1979-Sep-28". JPL Horizons. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%272012+VP113%27&START_TIME=%271979-Sep-01%27&STOP_TIME=%271979-Oct-31%27&STEP_SIZE=%276%20hours%27&QUANTITIES=%2719%27. Retrieved 2022-06-21.  (JPL#9, Soln.date: 3 December 2021)
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Trujillo, Chadwick A.; Sheppard, Scott S. (March 2014). "A Sedna-like body with a perihelion of 80 astronomical units". Nature 507 (7493): 471–474. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad2686. PMID 24670765. Bibcode: 2014Natur.507..471T. https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/journal-club/Trujillo_and_Sheppard_2014.pdf. 
  7. ↑ "2012 VP113 – Summary". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. https://newton.spacedys.com/astdys/index.php?pc=1.1.0&n=2012VP113. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Witze, Alexandra (26 March 2014). "Dwarf planet stretches Solar System's edge". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.14921. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "A second Sedna! What does it mean?". Planetary Society blogs. The Planetary Society. 26 March 2014. http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/03261345-a-second-sedna-what-does-it-mean.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Proudfoot, Benjamin (August 2025). "A Search For The Moons of Mid-Sized TNOs". Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (Space Telescope Science Institute): HST Proposal 18010. Cycle 33. Bibcode: 2025hst..prop18010P. https://www.stsci.edu/hst-program-info/download/hst/pdf/18010/. Retrieved 2025-08-17. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "NASA Supported Research Helps Redefine Solar System's Edge". NASA. 26 March 2014. http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-supported-research-helps-redefine-solar-systems-edge/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "2012 VP113". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2012+VP113. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sheppard, Scott S.. "Beyond the Edge of the Solar System: The Inner Oort Cloud Population". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science. http://home.dtm.ciw.edu/users/sheppard/inner_oort_cloud/. 
  14. ↑ Sample, Ian (26 March 2014). "Dwarf planet discovery hints at a hidden Super Earth in solar system". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/mar/26/dwarf-planet-super-earth-solar-system-2012-vp113. 
  15. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (26 March 2014). "A New Planetoid Reported in Far Reaches of Solar System". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/science/space/a-new-planetoid-reported-in-far-reaches-of-solar-system.html. 
  16. ↑ Wall, Mike (26 March 2014). "New Dwarf Planet Found at Solar System's Edge, Hints at Possible Faraway 'Planet X'". Space.com web site. TechMediaNetwork. http://www.space.com/25218-dwarf-planet-discovery-solar-system-edge.html. 
  17. ↑ "A new object at the edge of our Solar System discovered". Physorg.com. 26 March 2014. http://phys.org/news/2014-03-edge-solar.html. 
  18. ↑ de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (1 September 2014). "Extreme trans-Neptunian objects and the Kozai mechanism: signalling the presence of trans-Plutonian planets". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 443 (1): L59–L63. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slu084. Bibcode: 2014MNRAS.443L..59D. 
  19. ↑ de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl; Aarseth, S. J. (11 January 2015). "Flipping minor bodies: what comet 96P/Machholz 1 can tell us about the orbital evolution of extreme trans-Neptunian objects and the production of near-Earth objects on retrograde orbits". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 446 (2): 1867–1873. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu2230. Bibcode: 2015MNRAS.446.1867D. 



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