2014 UZ224
2014 UZ224 is a trans-Neptunian object and possible dwarf planet orbiting in the scattered disc of the outermost Solar System. As of 2021, it is approximately 89.7 AU (13.42 billion km) from the Sun, and will slowly decrease in distance until it reaches its perihelion of 38 AU in 2142. The discoverers have nicknamed it "DeeDee" for "Distant Dwarf".
2014 UZ224 imaged by ALMA | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | David Gerdes et al. |
| Discovery site | Cerro Tololo Obs. |
| Discovery date | 19 August 2014 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | 2014 UZ224 |
Alternative designations | DeeDee (nickname) |
Minor planet category | TNO · SDO p-DP |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 5 · 6 | |
| Observation arc | 12.08 yr (4,414 days) |
| Earliest precovery date | 15 October 2006 |
| Aphelion | 176.988±0.453 AU |
| Perihelion | 38.295±0.029 AU |
Semi-major axis | 107.642±0.275 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.64423 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 1116.81±4.28 yr (407,913 days) |
Mean anomaly | 320.482±0.210° |
Mean motion | 0° 0m 3.177s / day |
| Inclination | 26.790° |
Longitude of ascending node | 130.699±0.004° |
| ≈ 27 May 2142 ±67 days | |
| 29.989±0.063° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 635+65 −72 km |
| 0.131+0.038 −0.028 | |
| G–R = 0.77±0.11 | |
| 23.38±0.05 | |
| 3.5 · 3.4 | |
2014 UZ224 was discovered by a team led by David Gerdes using data collected by the large camera Dark Energy Camera (DECam). It has a diameter of ~635 km (395 mi) and reflects just 13 percent of the sunlight that hits it. Since the numbering of (532037) 2013 FY27 in May 2019, 2014 UZ224 may be the largest unnumbered object in the Solar System (though see 2012 VP113). The earliest known precovery observations of 2014 UZ224 were taken at the Mauna Kea Observatory on 15 October 2006.