(612533) 2002 XV93
transneptunian object
(612533) 2002 XV93 is an unnamed trans-Neptunian object (TNO) in the Kuiper belt, discovered by Palomar Observatory in December 2002. It is a member of the plutinos, a population of TNOs in a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune, like the dwarf planet Pluto. 2002 XV93 has a diameter of around 430 to 510 km (270 to 320 mi), which makes it about one-seventh the diameter of Earth's moon and about one-fifth the diameter of Pluto. It has a dark gray surface containing high amounts of water ice and some frozen carbon dioxide, but no detectable signs of frozen methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide. The mass, density, shape, and rotation of 2002 XV93 are all unknown, but are expected to resemble those of other similarly-sized TNOs like Huya.
In 2026, astronomers announced the discovery of a thin atmosphere around 2002 XV93, making it likely the first TNO after Pluto discovered to have an atmosphere, and defying expectations that it should be too small to hold onto an atmosphere. With a surface pressure of 100–200 nanobars (roughly 5 million to 10 million times thinner than Earth's atmosphere or 50 to 100 times thinner than Pluto's atmosphere), it is predicted that 2002 XV93 should lose all of its atmosphere in 100 to 1,000 years. The existence of 2002 XV93's atmosphere suggests it was recently replenished, either by a comet impact or outgassing via cryovolcanic eruptions. The composition of the atmosphere is unknown, but it is thought to contain either nitrogen, argon, or methane.
Discovery and observation history
2002 XV93 was discovered on 10 December 2002 (Universal Time; UT) by Palomar Observatory in California, United States.
The public source identifies “(612533) 2002 XV93” as transneptunian object. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around XV93, transneptunian and object.
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This entry incorporates text from “(612533) 2002 XV93” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.