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is a trans-Neptunian object first observed on 26 March 2014, at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in La Serena, Chile. It was discovered by Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo, and was announced on 29 August 2016.

is an extreme scattered disc object, whose orbit extends into the outer Oort cloud. It is one of the most distant objects in the Solar System by its aphelion (farthest point from the Sun), and on average. As a result, little is known about its physical characteristics. The diameter of is approximately 265 km under the assumption of a typical TNO albedo of 0.08, or 218 km assuming a typical SDO albedo of 0.124. Because of its extreme distance from the Earth, appears extremely faint with an apparent magnitude of 24.6.

History Discovery

was first observed on 26 March 2014 at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The observation was made by astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope. This discovery was part of a large tracking survey for objects beyond Neptune and the Kuiper belt, conducted to find evidence for the predicted Planet Nine. The Minor Planet Center formally announced the discovery on 29 August 2016. Upon its announcement, the Carnegie Institution for Science identified as the first distant Oort cloud object found with an orbit entirely beyond Neptune.

Further observations Following its first observation, the Minor Planet Center recorded 20 total observations tracking . These observations spanned a 6.98 years, from 26 March 2014 to 18 March 2021. During 2014 and 2015, the object was tracked using the Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and the Gemini South Telescope on Cerro Pachón. In May 2018, the Lowell Discovery Telescope captured more tracking data, observing at a faint r-band magnitude of 23.9. The final two observations were recorded on 18 March 2021 using the Dark Energy Camera.

Provisional designation The object was formally given the provisional designation by the Minor Planet Center on 29 August 2016. The provisional designation of it indicates its discovery date, the first letter represents the second half of March and the second letter and numbers means that it is the 1805th object discovered during that half-month. The MPC will give a permanent minor planet number to once its orbit is well determined with multiple years of observations, which would make it eligible for formal naming. As of 2026, it does not have an official name.

Orbit

Characteristics has an extremely elongated orbit with an eccentricity of 0.99. It has a perihelion of ~36.3 AU, a barycentric aphelion of ~5548 AU with an average orbital distance of 2792 AU, and an orbital period of around 147,500 years. Its orbit has an inclination of approximately 20.6° with respect to the ecliptic. Based on the barycentric orbital period, takes roughly 5 times longer than Sedna to orbit the Sun. These orbit values are the largest known for any Solar System body that is not a long-period comet. last passed through perihelion in late 1965. As of 2026, it is about 68 AU from the Sun.

Orbital classification is a member of the extreme scattered disc. It is one of a small number of detached objects with perihelion distances of 30 AU or more, and semi-major axes of 150 AU or more. is classified as an Outer Oort Cloud object. It is the first discovered object in this population to have a perihelion beyond the orbit of Neptune. Its orbit was likely shaped by past gravitational interactions with Neptune. However, due to its large orbit, its Orbital path is also affected by other forces such as the galactic tide. The longitude of perihelion of aligns with the orbital positioning that is seen in other extreme trans-Neptunian objects. Its average orbital distance is noted as one of the largest among known trans-Neptunian objects. Unlike detached sednoids, it is classified as a scattered object because its lower perihelion allows Neptune's gravity to change its orbit over time.

Orbital stability Simulations show that if other forces push its perihelion below 35 AU, strong gravitational interactions with the outer planets will cause its orbit to become highly unstable. Clustering models group into a population alongside 541132 Leleakuhonua, , and , which might be related to the inner Oort cloud. The unique orbital shape and spacial alignment of are studied to explain the structure of the outer Solar System. Its orbital clustering is discussed in models studying the influence of a distant massive mini Neptune, known as Planet Nine.

Physical characteristics

Little is known about 's physical properties. Its diameter has not been directly measured. Michael E. Brown estimated a diameter of 265 km for a typical TNO geometric albedo of 0.08 on his list. Johnston's archive estimated a diameter of 218 km under the assumption of a typical scattered disc object albedo of 0.124. The absolute magnitude of the object is approximately 6.19. Because of its extreme distance from the Earth, appears extremely faint with an apparent magnitude of 24.6, which is only visible to the largest telescopes in the world. is not known to have any natural satellites or moons, which means there is currently no way to measure its mass and density.

American astronomer Michael Brown considers to possibly be a dwarf planet. However, a planetary study by William M. Grundy suggests that trans-Neptunian objects in the 400–1000 km size range form a transition zone between small, low-density bodies and large, dense dwarf planets. Since has an estimated diameter of only 218–265 km, it falls below this transition zone.

Origin and future

Simulations using Modified Newtonian Dynamics study the origin of without Planet Nine. In that model, experiences highly chaotic orbital changes because of the close encounters with the outer planets. Simulations of show that around 75 million years ago, it was located inside the outer planet region. Many close approaches with the outer planets then scattered the object outward, allowing its orbit to grow to its current extreme orbit around 25 million years ago. Future simulations of its orbital path show that after more planetary encounters and gravitational cycles, its average orbital distance will continue to grow over the next 100 million years. Under this scenario, the external field effect from the galaxy finally helps detach the object from the direct gravitational control of the planets and the Sun.

Visualizations

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