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Orcus

File:Orcus-Vanth_orbit.gif · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ15603· pop 66· linked from 451 articles

Also known as 90482 Orcus, Orcus (dwarf planet)

dwarf planet in kuiper belt

AI overview

Orcus is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies beyond Neptune's orbit. It matters because studying it helps scientists understand the composition and formation history of our solar system's outer regions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Diameter
910
Radius
455
Mass
6.348
Orbital period
245.19
Image
Orcus-vanth hst2.jpg
Show 20 more facts
time of discovery or invention
2004-02-17
Commons category
90482 Orcus
provisional designation
2004 DW
orbital inclination
20.573
orbital eccentricity
0.22618
albedo
0.1975
absolute magnitude
2.14
mean anomaly
164.68
argument of periapsis
72.474
longitude of ascending node
268.722
semi-major axis of an orbit
39.1742376
Unicode character
🝿
periapsis
30.173511545766
surface gravity
0.2
density
1.4
pronunciation
ˈɔːrkəs
apoapsis
48.067
color index
0.37
apparent magnitude
19.1
time of periapsis
2504025.934923104425
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Article

Orcus (minor-planet number 90482) is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper belt, with one large moon, Vanth. It has an estimated diameter of 870 to 960 km (540 to 600 mi), comparable to the Inner Solar System dwarf planet Ceres. The surface of Orcus is relatively bright with albedo reaching 23 percent, neutral in color, and rich in water ice. The ice is predominantly in crystalline form, which may be related to past cryovolcanic activity. Other compounds like methane or ammonia may also be present on its surface. Orcus was discovered by American astronomers Michael Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz on 17 February 2004.

Orcus is a plutino, a trans-Neptunian object that is locked in a 2:3 orbital resonance with the ice giant Neptune, making two revolutions around the Sun to every three of Neptune's. This is much like Pluto, except that the phase of Orcus's orbit is opposite to Pluto's: Orcus is at aphelion (most recently in 2019) around when Pluto is at perihelion (most recently in 1989) and vice versa. Orcus is the second-largest known plutino, after Pluto itself. The perihelion of Orcus's orbit is around 120° from that of Pluto, while the eccentricities and inclinations are similar. Because of these similarities and contrasts, along with its large moon Vanth that can be compared to Pluto's large moon Charon, Orcus has been dubbed the "anti-Pluto". This was a major consideration in selecting its name, as the deity Orcus was the Roman/Etruscan equivalent of the Roman/Greek Pluto.

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