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Trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU).
Typically, TNOs are further divided into the classical and resonant objects of the Kuiper belt, the scattered disc and detached objects with the sednoids being the most distant ones. As of February 2025, the catalog of minor planets contains 1006 numbered and more than 4000 unnumbered TNOs. However, nearly 5900 objects with semimajor axis over 30 AU are present in the MPC catalog, with 1009 being numbered.
The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930. It took until 1992 to discover a second trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun directly, 15760 Albion. The most massive TNO known is Eris, followed by Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Gonggong. More than 80 satellites have been discovered in orbit of trans-Neptunian objects. TNOs vary in color and are either grey-blue (BB) or very red (RR). They are thought to be composed of mixtures of rock, amorphous carbon and volatile ices such as water and methane, coated with tholins and other organic compounds.
Twelve minor planets with a semi-major axis greater than 150 AU and perihelion greater than 30 AU are known, which are called extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs).
The orbit of each of the planets is slightly affected by the gravitational influences of the other planets. Discrepancies in the early 1900s between the observed and expected orbits of Uranus and Neptune suggested that there were one or more additional planets beyond Neptune. The search for these led to the discovery of Pluto in February 1930, which was progressively determined to be too small to explain the discrepancies. Revised estimates of Neptune's mass from the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989 showed that there is no real discrepancy: The problem was an error in the expectations for the orbits. Pluto was easiest to find because it is the brightest of all known trans-Neptunian objects. It also has a lower inclination to the ecliptic than most other large TNOs, so its position in the sky is typically closer to the search zone in the disc of the Solar System.
After Pluto's discovery, American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh continued searching for some years for similar objects but found none. For a long time, no one searched for other TNOs as it was generally believed that Pluto, which up to August 2006 was classified as a planet, was the only major object beyond Neptune. Only after the 1992 discovery of a second TNO, 15760 Albion, did systematic searches for further such objects begin. A broad strip of the sky around the ecliptic was photographed and digitally evaluated for slowly moving objects. Hundreds of TNOs were found, with diameters in the range of 50 to 2,500 kilometers. Eris, the most massive known TNO, was discovered in 2005, revisiting a long-running dispute within the scientific community over the classification of large TNOs, and whether objects like Pluto can be considered planets. In 2006, Pluto and Eris were classified as dwarf planets by the International Astronomical Union.
According to their distance from the Sun and their orbital parameters, TNOs are classified in two large groups: the Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) and the scattered disc objects (SDOs). The diagram below illustrates the distribution of known trans-Neptunian objects beyond the orbit of Neptune at 30.07 AU. Different classes of TNOs are represented in different colours. The main part of the Kuiper belt is shown in orange and blue between the 2:3 and 1:2 orbital resonances with Neptune. Plutinos (orange) are the objects in the 2:3 resonance, including the dwarf planets Pluto and Orcus. Classical Kuiper belt objects are shown in blue, with the largest of these, including Haumea, Makemake, and Quaoar in the dynamically 'hot' population in light blue, and the dynamically 'cold' population, including 486958 Arrokoth, in low-eccentricity orbits clustered near 44 AU in dark blue.
The scattered disc can be found beyond the Kuiper belt, shown in grey and purple. These objects, including dwarf planets Eris and Gonggong have been excited into eccentric orbits due to gravitational perturbations by Neptune, resulting in a concentration of their perihelia in the horizontal band between 30 and 40 AU. Some detached objects, such as (612911) 2004 XR190 however have higher perihelia. Centaurs, shown in green, have been perturbed from the scattered disc onto orbits crossing the outer planets. Bodies in both of these groups may be found in mean-motion resonances with Neptune; these are plotted in red.
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Trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU).
Typically, TNOs are further divided into the classical and resonant objects of the Kuiper belt, the scattered disc and detached objects with the sednoids being the most distant ones. As of February 2025, the catalog of minor planets contains 1006 numbered and more than 4000 unnumbered TNOs. However, nearly 5900 objects with semimajor axis over 30 AU are present in the MPC catalog, with 1009 being numbered.
The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930. It took until 1992 to discover a second trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun directly, 15760 Albion. The most massive TNO known is Eris, followed by Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Gonggong. More than 80 satellites have been discovered in orbit of trans-Neptunian objects. TNOs vary in color and are either grey-blue (BB) or very red (RR). They are thought to be composed of mixtures of rock, amorphous carbon and volatile ices such as water and methane, coated with tholins and other organic compounds.
Twelve minor planets with a semi-major axis greater than 150 AU and perihelion greater than 30 AU are known, which are called extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs).
The orbit of each of the planets is slightly affected by the gravitational influences of the other planets. Discrepancies in the early 1900s between the observed and expected orbits of Uranus and Neptune suggested that there were one or more additional planets beyond Neptune. The search for these led to the discovery of Pluto in February 1930, which was progressively determined to be too small to explain the discrepancies. Revised estimates of Neptune's mass from the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989 showed that there is no real discrepancy: The problem was an error in the expectations for the orbits. Pluto was easiest to find because it is the brightest of all known trans-Neptunian objects. It also has a lower inclination to the ecliptic than most other large TNOs, so its position in the sky is typically closer to the search zone in the disc of the Solar System.
After Pluto's discovery, American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh continued searching for some years for similar objects but found none. For a long time, no one searched for other TNOs as it was generally believed that Pluto, which up to August 2006 was classified as a planet, was the only major object beyond Neptune. Only after the 1992 discovery of a second TNO, 15760 Albion, did systematic searches for further such objects begin. A broad strip of the sky around the ecliptic was photographed and digitally evaluated for slowly moving objects. Hundreds of TNOs were found, with diameters in the range of 50 to 2,500 kilometers. Eris, the most massive known TNO, was discovered in 2005, revisiting a long-running dispute within the scientific community over the classification of large TNOs, and whether objects like Pluto can be considered planets. In 2006, Pluto and Eris were classified as dwarf planets by the International Astronomical Union.
According to their distance from the Sun and their orbital parameters, TNOs are classified in two large groups: the Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) and the scattered disc objects (SDOs). The diagram below illustrates the distribution of known trans-Neptunian objects beyond the orbit of Neptune at 30.07 AU. Different classes of TNOs are represented in different colours. The main part of the Kuiper belt is shown in orange and blue between the 2:3 and 1:2 orbital resonances with Neptune. Plutinos (orange) are the objects in the 2:3 resonance, including the dwarf planets Pluto and Orcus. Classical Kuiper belt objects are shown in blue, with the largest of these, including Haumea, Makemake, and Quaoar in the dynamically 'hot' population in light blue, and the dynamically 'cold' population, including 486958 Arrokoth, in low-eccentricity orbits clustered near 44 AU in dark blue.
The scattered disc can be found beyond the Kuiper belt, shown in grey and purple. These objects, including dwarf planets Eris and Gonggong have been excited into eccentric orbits due to gravitational perturbations by Neptune, resulting in a concentration of their perihelia in the horizontal band between 30 and 40 AU. Some detached objects, such as (612911) 2004 XR190 however have higher perihelia. Centaurs, shown in green, have been perturbed from the scattered disc onto orbits crossing the outer planets. Bodies in both of these groups may be found in mean-motion resonances with Neptune; these are plotted in red.