341520 Mors–Somnus Explained

Minorplanet:yes
341520 Mors–Somnus
Background:
  1. C2E0FF
Discovery Ref: 
Discovered:14 October 2007
Mpc Name:(341520) Mors-Somnus
Named After:Mors and Somnus
Mp Category:TNO Plutino 
Orbit Ref: 
Epoch:4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty:3
Observation Arc:6.12 yr (2,235 days)
Perihelion:28.839 AU
Semimajor:39.012 AU
Eccentricity:0.2607
Period:243.67 yr (89,000 days)
Mean Motion: / day
Inclination:11.304°
Asc Node:196.75°
Arg Peri:205.32°
Satellites:1 
Dimensions:102 km
175.20 km
Density:>0.5 g/cm3
Albedo:0.10
Spectral Type:B–V =
V–R =
V–I =
C 
Abs Magnitude:6.9

(; provisional designation ) is a binary and plutino. It consists of two components less than 60 kilometers in diameter, orbiting at a distance of 21000 km.

Mors–Somnus was discovered on 14 October 2007, by American astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo with the Subaru Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, United States. It was later named after the twins Mors and Somnus from Roman mythology.

Orbit and binarity

Mors–Somnus is a small double plutino occupying the 3:2 mean motion resonance with Neptune. The object is a wide optically resolved binary with the following orbital parameters:

Orbital parameters of the Mors–Somnus system
Semi-major axis, kmEccentricityPeriod, dInclination, degree
21000 ± 1600.1529 ± 0.0028961.2 ± 4.615.68 ± 0.22

The components have almost equal size.

Physical properties

The total mass of the system is . For a realistic minimal density of 0.5 g/cm3 the albedo is >0.17 and the size of the components is <60 km. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.1 and calculates a diameter of 175.20 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 6.9.

Mors–Somnus has an ultra-red spectrum in the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. The colors of two components are indistinguishable from each other. It demonstrates a double-peaked light curve with the period of about 9.28 hours and amplitude of 0.24. This indicates that either primary or secondary has an elongated shape and rotates non-synchronuosly.

Evolution

The Mors–Somnus system is likely to be an escaped cold classical Kuiper belt object.

Naming

The minor planet was named after the mythological twin Roman gods of death (Mors) and sleep (Somnus). The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 June 2015 .

External links