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Resonant trans-Neptunian object
In astronomy, a resonant trans-Neptunian object is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) in mean-motion orbital resonance with Neptune. The orbital periods of the resonant objects are in a simple integer relations with the period of Neptune, e.g. 1:2, 2:3, etc. Resonant TNOs can be either part of the main Kuiper belt population, or the more distant scattered disc population.
The diagram illustrates the distribution of the known trans-Neptunian objects. Resonant objects are plotted in red. Orbital resonances with Neptune are marked with vertical bars: 1:1 marks the position of Neptune's orbit and its trojans; 2:3 marks the orbit of Pluto and plutinos; and 1:2, 2:5, etc. mark a number of smaller families. The designations "2:3" and "3:2" both refer to the same resonance in the context of TNOs. There is no ambiguity, since by definition TNOs have periods longer than Neptune's. The order used depends on the author and research field.
Detailed analytical and numerical studies of Neptune's resonances have shown that the objects must have a relatively precise range of energies. If the object's semi-major axis is outside these narrow ranges, the orbit becomes chaotic, with widely changing orbital elements. As TNOs were discovered, more than 10% were found to be in 2:3 resonances, far from a random distribution. It is now believed that the objects have been collected from wider distances by sweeping resonances during the migration of Neptune. Well before the discovery of the first TNO, it was suggested that interaction between giant planets and a massive disk of small particles would, via angular-momentum transfer, make Jupiter migrate inwards and make Saturn, Uranus, and especially Neptune migrate outwards. During this relatively short period of time, Neptune's resonances would be sweeping the space, trapping objects on initially varying heliocentric orbits into resonance.
A few objects have been discovered following orbits with semi-major axes similar to that of Neptune, near the Sun–Neptune Lagrangian points. These Neptune trojans, termed by analogy to the (Jupiter) Trojan asteroids, are in 1:1 resonance with Neptune. 31 are known as of February 2024. Only 3 objects are near Neptune's L5 Lagrangian point, and the identification of one of these is insecure; the others are located in Neptune's L4 region. In addition, (316179) 2010 EN65 is a so-called "jumping trojan", currently transitioning from librating around L4 to librating around L5, via the L3 region.
The 2:3 resonance at 39.4 AU is by far the dominant category among the resonant objects. As of February 2020, it includes 383 confirmed and 99 possible member bodies (such as (175113) 2004 PF115). Of these 383 confirmed plutinos, 338 have their orbits secured in simulations run by the Deep Ecliptic Survey. The objects following orbits in this resonance are named plutinos after Pluto, the first such body discovered. Large, numbered plutinos include:
As of February 2020, 47 objects are confirmed to be in a 3:5 orbital resonance with Neptune at 42.2 AU. Among the numbered objects there are:
Another population of objects is orbiting the Sun at 43.6 AU (in the midst of the classical objects). The objects are rather small (with two exceptions, H>6) and most of them follow orbits close to the ecliptic. As of February 2020[update], 55 objects in 4:7 resonance have had their orbits secured by the Deep Ecliptic Survey. Objects with well established orbits include:
This resonance at 47.7 AU is often considered to be the outer edge of the Kuiper belt, and the objects in this resonance are sometimes referred to as twotinos. Twotinos have inclinations less than 15 degrees and generally moderate eccentricities between 0.1 and 0.3 . An unknown number of the 2:1 resonants likely did not originate in a planetesimal disk that was swept by the resonance during Neptune's migration, but were captured when they had already been scattered.
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Resonant trans-Neptunian object AI simulator
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Resonant trans-Neptunian object
In astronomy, a resonant trans-Neptunian object is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) in mean-motion orbital resonance with Neptune. The orbital periods of the resonant objects are in a simple integer relations with the period of Neptune, e.g. 1:2, 2:3, etc. Resonant TNOs can be either part of the main Kuiper belt population, or the more distant scattered disc population.
The diagram illustrates the distribution of the known trans-Neptunian objects. Resonant objects are plotted in red. Orbital resonances with Neptune are marked with vertical bars: 1:1 marks the position of Neptune's orbit and its trojans; 2:3 marks the orbit of Pluto and plutinos; and 1:2, 2:5, etc. mark a number of smaller families. The designations "2:3" and "3:2" both refer to the same resonance in the context of TNOs. There is no ambiguity, since by definition TNOs have periods longer than Neptune's. The order used depends on the author and research field.
Detailed analytical and numerical studies of Neptune's resonances have shown that the objects must have a relatively precise range of energies. If the object's semi-major axis is outside these narrow ranges, the orbit becomes chaotic, with widely changing orbital elements. As TNOs were discovered, more than 10% were found to be in 2:3 resonances, far from a random distribution. It is now believed that the objects have been collected from wider distances by sweeping resonances during the migration of Neptune. Well before the discovery of the first TNO, it was suggested that interaction between giant planets and a massive disk of small particles would, via angular-momentum transfer, make Jupiter migrate inwards and make Saturn, Uranus, and especially Neptune migrate outwards. During this relatively short period of time, Neptune's resonances would be sweeping the space, trapping objects on initially varying heliocentric orbits into resonance.
A few objects have been discovered following orbits with semi-major axes similar to that of Neptune, near the Sun–Neptune Lagrangian points. These Neptune trojans, termed by analogy to the (Jupiter) Trojan asteroids, are in 1:1 resonance with Neptune. 31 are known as of February 2024. Only 3 objects are near Neptune's L5 Lagrangian point, and the identification of one of these is insecure; the others are located in Neptune's L4 region. In addition, (316179) 2010 EN65 is a so-called "jumping trojan", currently transitioning from librating around L4 to librating around L5, via the L3 region.
The 2:3 resonance at 39.4 AU is by far the dominant category among the resonant objects. As of February 2020, it includes 383 confirmed and 99 possible member bodies (such as (175113) 2004 PF115). Of these 383 confirmed plutinos, 338 have their orbits secured in simulations run by the Deep Ecliptic Survey. The objects following orbits in this resonance are named plutinos after Pluto, the first such body discovered. Large, numbered plutinos include:
As of February 2020, 47 objects are confirmed to be in a 3:5 orbital resonance with Neptune at 42.2 AU. Among the numbered objects there are:
Another population of objects is orbiting the Sun at 43.6 AU (in the midst of the classical objects). The objects are rather small (with two exceptions, H>6) and most of them follow orbits close to the ecliptic. As of February 2020[update], 55 objects in 4:7 resonance have had their orbits secured by the Deep Ecliptic Survey. Objects with well established orbits include:
This resonance at 47.7 AU is often considered to be the outer edge of the Kuiper belt, and the objects in this resonance are sometimes referred to as twotinos. Twotinos have inclinations less than 15 degrees and generally moderate eccentricities between 0.1 and 0.3 . An unknown number of the 2:1 resonants likely did not originate in a planetesimal disk that was swept by the resonance during Neptune's migration, but were captured when they had already been scattered.