42355 Typhon

42355 Typhon
Hubble Space Telescope image of Typhon and its moon Echidna, taken in 2006
Discovery
Discovered byNEAT
Discovery date5 February 2002
Designations
(42355) Typhon
Pronunciation/ˈtfɒn/[1]
Named after
Τυφών Typhōn
2002 CR46
SDO[2][3]
Centaur[4]
AdjectivesTyphonian /tˈfniən/[5]
Symbol (rare)
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc9563 days (26.18 yr)
Aphelion58.982252 AU (8.8236193 Tm)
Perihelion17.545721 AU (2.6248025 Tm)
38.263987 AU (5.7242110 Tm)
Eccentricity0.5414560
236.70 yr (86453.7 d)
14.61898075°
0° 0m 14.991s / day
Inclination2.4252078°
351.9098598°
159.3215723°
Known satellites1 (Echidna)
TJupiter4.692
Physical characteristics
162±7 km[6]
Mass(9.49±0.52)×1017 kg[7]
Mean density
0.66+0.09
−0.08
 g/cm3
[8]
9.67 h (0.403 d)[8]
0.044±0.003[6]
B−R=1.29±0.07[6] V−I=0.99±0.04[7]
7.72±0.004[6]

42355 Typhon (/ˈtfɒn/; provisional designation 2002 CR46) is a scattered disc object that was discovered on February 5, 2002, by the NEAT program. It measures 162±7 km in diameter, and is named after Typhon, a monster in Greek mythology. Typhon is the first known binary centaur,[9] using an extended definition of a centaur as an object on a non-resonant (unstable) orbit with the perihelion inside the orbit of Neptune.[10]

Symbol

Planetary symbols are no longer much used in astronomy, so Typhon never received a symbol in the astronomical literature. There is no standard symbol for Typhon used by astrologers either. A hurricane symbol () has been used, which might be identified with U+1F300 🌀︎ CYCLONE (U+FE0E VARIATION SELECTOR-15 is used to make the character display as text).[11]

Physical properties

Measurements of its thermal radiation led to an equivalent diameter of about either 138±9 km or 185±7 km, with the latter value preferable.[8] The diameter of the central body (Typhon) is in the latter case 162±7 km.[6] Due to its small size, it is unlikely to be classified as a dwarf planet. As of 2021, no rotational lightcurve has been analyzed and the body's actual shape remain unknown.

Typhon has a BR taxonomic class, with a blue surface. It has a resulting B–R color difference of about 1.3,[6] while V–I color difference is about unity.[7] The spectra of Typhon show the presence of water ice and possibly of water altered silicates.[12]

Satellite

Echidna
Discovery
Discovery date2006
Designations
(42355) Typhon I
Pronunciation/ɪˈkɪdnə/[13]
Named after
Έχιδνα
AdjectivesEchidnian[14]
Echidnean (rarely)[15]
(both /ɪˈkɪdniən/)[16]
Orbital characteristics
~1300 km
11 d
Satellite ofTyphon
Physical characteristics
Dimensions89±6 km

A large moon was identified in 2006.[7] It is named Echidna (formal designation (42355) Typhon I), after the monstrous mate of Typhon. It orbits Typhon at the distance of 1628±29 km, completing one orbit in 18.9709±0.0064 days. Its diameter is estimated at 89±6 km.[6] Echidna has the same color as Typhon.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Typhon". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ a b "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (42355 Typhon)" (2008-03-14 last obs). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  3. ^ "List Of Centaurs and Scattered-Disk Objects". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  4. ^ (42355) Typhon and Echidna
  5. ^ "Typhonian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Santos-Sanz, P.; Lellouch, E.; Fornasier, S.; et al. (May 2012). ""TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region: IV. Size/albedo characterization of 15 scattered disk and detached objects observed with Herschel -PACS⋆⋆⋆". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 541: A92. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201118541.
  7. ^ a b c d e Grundy, W; Noll, K; Virtanen, J; Muinonen, K; Kern, S; Stephens, D; Stansberry, J; Levison, H; Spencer, J (September 2008). "(42355) Typhon–Echidna: Scheduling observations for binary orbit determination". Icarus. 197 (1): 260–268. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.04.004.
  8. ^ a b c Duffard, R.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Santos-Sanz, P.; Vilenius, E.; Ortiz, J. L.; Mueller, T.; et al. (April 2014). ""TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region. XI. A Herschel-PACS view of 16 Centaurs". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 564: 17. arXiv:1309.0946. Bibcode:2014A&A...564A..92D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322377. S2CID 119177446.
  9. ^ K. Noll; H. Levison; W. Grundy; D. Stephens (October 2006). "Discovery of a binary Centaur". Icarus. 184 (2): 611. arXiv:astro-ph/0605606. Bibcode:2006Icar..184..611N. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.05.010. S2CID 18927838.
  10. ^ J. L. Elliot; S. D. Kern; K. B. Clancy; A. A. S. Gulbis; R. L. Millis; M. W. Buie; et al. (February 2005). "The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal. 129 (2): 1117. Bibcode:2005AJ....129.1117E. doi:10.1086/427395.
  11. ^ Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (18 September 2023). "Unicode request for historical asteroid symbols" (PDF). unicode.org. Unicode. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  12. ^ Alvarez-Candal, A.; Barucci, M. A.; Merlin, F.; de Bergh, C.; Fornasier, S.; Guilbert, A.; Protopapa, S. (February 2010). "The trans-Neptunian object (42355) Typhon: composition and dynamical evolution". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 511: A35. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200913102.
  13. ^ "Echidna". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  14. ^ François Hartog (Janet Lloyd, trans., 1988) The Mirror of Herodotus, p. 25
  15. ^ J. A. Weinstock (2014) The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters, p. 79
  16. ^ George Sandys (1669) Ovid's Metamorphosis Englished, 6th ed., p. 134.