2008 KV42 nicknamed Drac (short for Dracula) is a trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun in retrograde motion (backwards) and almost perpendicular to the ecliptic: it has a 104-degree inclination. This odd orbit suggests that 2008 KV42 may have been perturbed inwards from the Oort cloud. Comets are thought to originate from the Oort cloud and this discovery may finally show how they transition from the Oort cloud to become objects like Halley’s Comet.
apoapsis (km)
1.05609e+13
average speed (km/s)
14616.0
orbital period (μ)
9.67359e+09
periapsis (km)
3.04132e+12
temperature (K)
41.0
absolute magnitude
8.81
discovery date
2008-05-31
discoverer
John J. Kavelaars, Brett J. Gladman, Jean-Marc_Petit
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