53311 Deucalion

Lore & Background

53311 Deucalion orbits the Sun at a distance of 41.4–47.4 AU once every 295 years and 10 months (108,044 days; semi-major axis of 44.4 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 0° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins six days prior to its official discovery observation in April 1999. It is a cubewano from the classical Kuiper belt, located in between the resonant plutino and twotino populations and has a low-eccentricity orbit. With its very small inclination (0.3°), significantly less than 4–7°, the object belongs to the cold population rather than the 'stirred' hot population.

This minor planet was named from Greek mythology after Deucalion, son of Prometheus. He and his wife Pyrrha were the only ones that survived the great deluge ('the flood of Deucalion') brought upon all humans by Zeus. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 June 2003 (M.P.C. 49102).

Johnston's Archive estimates a diameter of 212 kilometers based on an assumed albedo of 0.09, while American astronomer Michael Brown calculates a diameter of 131 kilometers, using an estimated albedo of 0.20 and an absolute magnitude of 6.6. As of 2018, no spectral type and color indices, nor a rotational lightcurve have been obtained from spectroscopic and photometric observations. The body's color, rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.

Reader's Guide

53311 Deucalion is significant as a classical Kuiper belt object (cubewano) that belongs to the cold population, distinguished by its very low orbital inclination of 0.3°. Its discovery on 18 April 1999 by the Deep Ecliptic Survey at Kitt Peak National Observatory contributed to the cataloging of trans-Neptunian objects in the outermost Solar System. The object's diameter is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 130 to 210 kilometers depending on assumed albedo—Johnston's Archive gives 212 km (albedo 0.09), while Michael Brown gives 131 km (albedo 0.20). As of 2018, fundamental physical properties such as color, rotation period, pole orientation, and shape remain unknown due to a lack of spectroscopic and photometric observations. Its naming after Deucalion, the Greek mythological survivor of a great flood, follows the tradition of naming minor planets from classical mythology. The object's low-eccentricity orbit and location between the resonant plutino and twotino populations make it a representative example of the dynamically cold classical Kuiper belt.

Did You Know?

• It has an orbital inclination of only 0.3°, placing it in the cold population of classical Kuiper belt objects.
• The object is named after Deucalion, the son of Prometheus who survived the great flood in Greek mythology.