is a trans-Neptunian object. It was discovered on 22 July 2007, by Megan Schwamb and Michael E. Brown using discovery images taken by the Samuel Oschin telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California.

is a scattered disc object, which is a group of TNOs that have distant, inclined, and eccentric orbits that come close to Neptune at perihelion. measures approximately in diameter, and has an elongated shape with semi-axes of × . It has a projected axis ratio of b/a = .

Observation history Discovery

was discovered on 22 July 2007, by Megan Schwamb and Michael E. Brown of the California Institute of Technology using discovery images taken by the 1.2-meter Samuel Oschin telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. Its discovery was a part of the Palomar Distant Solar System Survey, which aimed to find objects in the region around Sedna, farther than 50 AU from the Sun. The survey was designed to detect the movements of objects that were at least 1,000 AU from the Sun. The discovery was announced on 6 September 2007, and confirmed in 2008 by the 1.5-meter Cassegrain telescope, also at the Palomar Observatory.

Further observations The observation arc of begins with the official discovery observation on 22 July 2007. Since then, has been observed by various telescopes, including the Herschel Space Observatory and ground-based telescopes. As of September 2026, a total of 449 observations had been recorded over a period of 18.39 years (which is its observation arc). The most recent observation was made on 10 December 2025 at the F51 – Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala. has not been imaged by high-resolution telescopes yet, so it does not have any known natural satellites or moons, which means there is currently no way to measure its mass and density. is scheduled for observation with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2026.

2022 Double star occultation

A stellar occultation occurs when an astronomical object passes in front of a star, blocking the star's light temporarily. A 2025 study led by Gómez Limón predicted an occultation of the star Gaia DR3 2727866328215869952, which has a visible apparent magnitude of 15.23 by on 22 August 2022. Four observation stations successfully detected the occultation. They determined the size, shape, and geometric albedo of . The occultation data show that Gaia DR3 2727866328215869952 is actually a double star. The secondary star is approximately magnitudes fainter than the primary star. It has an angular separation of mas, and a position angle of degrees with respect to the primary star.

Provisional designation and numbering

The object was formally given the provisional designation by the Minor Planet Center on 6 September 2007. The provisional designation of indicates its discovery date, the first letter represents the second half of July and the second letter and numbers means that it is the 253rd object discovered during that half-month. was later assigned the minor planet number 470316 by the IAU. As of 2026, has not been officially given any name by the International Astronomical Union.

Orbit and classification

is a trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun at a semi-major axis or average orbital distance of approximately 49.9 astronomical units. It follows a highly tilted and elliptical orbit, with an eccentricity of 0.290 and inclination of 21.65° with respect to the ecliptic. During its 350-year orbital period, comes within 35.5 AU from the Sun at perihelion and up to 64.4 AU at aphelion.

belongs to the scattered disc, which is a population of TNOs that have distant, inclined, and eccentric orbits that come close to Neptune at perihelion. The scattered disc population, which includes the dwarf planets and , are strongly influenced by Neptune's gravitational perturbations and consequently experience gravitational scattering. is classified as a scattered disc object by Johnston's archive.

Physical characteristics Size and shape

Observations of stellar occultations show that is a highly flattened and elongated object with an equatorial diameter of and a polar diameter of approximately km. measures approximately in area equivalent diameter, and has a projected axis ratio of b/a = .

Mass and density has not been imaged by high-resolution telescopes yet, so it does not have any known natural satellites or moons, which means there is currently no way to measure its mass and density. is scheduled for observation with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2026, if those observations discover a moon, they could lead to a measurement of the mass and density of .

Interior and Grundy's hypothesis 's size is large enough that Mike Brown classified it as a possible dwarf planet, putting it in the 'possibly' zone. However, scientists such as William M. Grundy have proposed the class of "mid-sized" TNOs between in diameter, which are believed to represent the transition between small, low-density TNOs and large, high-density dwarf planets. Planetary scientists have hypothesized that mid-sized TNOs in the lower range of 400–1000 km should have highly porous and unheated interiors, because TNOs in the lower range of the zone (such as Uni and Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà) have been found to have low densities around . Since has an estimated diameter of only 330 km, it falls below this transition zone.

Surface Composition and spectrum

The spectrum and surface composition of is classified as a -type ("double-dip") TNO. These objects are most regularly found on dynamically excited orbits such as those in the hot classical Kuiper belt. The type TNO has 2 adjacent absorption minima in the 3 μm region, making a double dip shape. Their spectra is mostly dominated by carbon dioxide ices, carbon monoxide ices, and isotopologue ices, with other iradiation products like light hydrocarbons. The -type TNOs such as is the most common spectral type in the Disco sample. It is hypothesized that has gone through clustering.

Color, albedo, brightness and visibility from Earth

’s albedo has been measured to be . It has color indices of: B-V , V-R , and V-I of . It has an apparent magnitude of 21.02.

Search for moons

A 2026 study found that has no sizable moons. If it does have a moon, the moon would need to have a diameter smaller than 131.2 km.

See also

a mid-sized trans-Neptunian object a mid-sized trans-Neptunian object a similarly sized trans-Neptunian object List of trans-Neptunian objects List of minor planets: 470001–471000

Notes

References

External links