- 20461 Dioretsa
-
20461 Dioretsa Discovery and designationDiscovered by Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team at Socorro[1] Discovery date 8 June 1999 DesignationsMPC designation 20461 Alternate name(s) 1999 LD31 Minor planet
categorycentaur[1], damocloid Epoch 2455800.5 (2011 Aug 27.0) Aphelion 45.296 AU Perihelion 2.363606 AU Semi-major axis 23.8297 AU Eccentricity 0.900813 Orbital period 42489 days (116.329 y) Mean anomaly 36.425° Inclination 160.41900° (retrograde) Longitude of ascending node 297.41955° Argument of perihelion 102.5329° Absolute magnitude (H) 13.8[1] Dioretsa (1999 LD31) (pronounced /daɪ.əˈrɛtsə/ dy-ə-ret-sə) is a centaur[1] discovered in 1999 notable for its unusual orbit, which is highly eccentric and retrograde. Its name is the word 'asteroid' spelled backwards to reflect this fact. It is one of twenty or so known minor planets in the Solar System that have a retrograde orbit—see the List of notable asteroids.
Dioretsa's orbit is otherwise similar to a comet's; it has a perihelion of 2.4 AU and an aphelion of 45.3 AU. This has led to speculation that Dioretsa was originally an object from the Oort cloud.
References
Minor planets navigator Small Solar System bodies Minor planets - Designation
- Groups
- Moons
- Meanings of names
- Pronunciation of names
Comets Meteoroids Lists / categories - Asteroid groups and families
- Asteroid moons
- Binary asteroids
- Minor planets
Categories:- Damocloid asteroids
- Astronomical objects discovered in 1999
- Asteroid stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.