(574372) 2010 JO179

Lore & Background

The Minor Planet Center credits the first official observation of 2010 JO179 on 10 May 2010 to Pan-STARRS (F51) at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, as part of its Outer Solar System Survey. Precovery images from 4 February 1951, taken by the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, extend the observation arc by about 60 years; these images are from the same year the object reached perihelion. The object orbits the Sun at a distance of 39.6–118 AU once every 699 years and 5 months, with a semi-major axis of 78.8 AU, a high eccentricity of 0.50, and an inclination of 32° relative to the ecliptic. Long-term observations suggest it is in a meta-stable 5:21 resonance with Neptune, though other sources classify it as a scattered disc object.

Photometric observations reveal a monomodal lightcurve with a slow rotation period of 30.6 hours, suggesting a rather spherical shape with significant albedo patchiness; an alternative bimodal solution (doubling the period) is considered less likely and would imply an ellipsoidal shape with an axis-ratio of at least 1.58. Color indices (g-r 0.88±0.21, r-i 0.34±0.26, r-z 0.13±0.22) indicate a moderately red surface. The object's mean diameter is estimated at 600 to 900 kilometers based on an assumed albedo of 0.21 to 0.07; Johnston's archive gives a diameter of 647 kilometers assuming an albedo of 0.124. The minor planet was numbered 574372 on 10 August 2021, and as of February 2026 it has not been named.

Reader's Guide

The significance of (574372) 2010 JO179 lies in its status as a large, high-order resonant trans-Neptunian object, possibly large enough to be a dwarf planet. Its meta-stable 5:21 resonance with Neptune and classification as a scattered disc object by some sources highlight the ongoing uncertainty in dynamical classification of outer Solar System bodies. The object's slow rotation period of 30.6 hours and monomodal lightcurve suggest a spherical shape with patchy albedo, while the less likely bimodal alternative would imply an elongated shape. Its moderately red surface and estimated diameter of 600–900 km place it among the larger known TNOs. The planned Hubble Space Telescope imaging in 2026 will be a key milestone, potentially revealing moons and refining its size. The precovery images from 1951, extending the observation arc by 60 years, demonstrate the value of archival data in understanding long-period orbits. As of February 2026, it remains unnamed, awaiting further study.

Did You Know?

• The object's first official observation was on 10 May 2010 by Pan-STARRS at Haleakala Observatory.
• Precovery images from 1951 extend the observation arc by about 60 years and are from the same year it reached perihelion.
• It has a slow rotation period of 30.6 hours, suggesting a spherical shape with significant albedo patchiness.
• The Hubble Space Telescope is planned to image it in 2026 to search for moons.