2014 UZ224

2014 UZ224
2014 UZ224 imaged by ALMA
Discovery[1]
Discovered byDavid Gerdes et al.
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date21 October 2014
Designations
2014 UZ224
DeeDee (nickname)
TNO[2] · SDO[3]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 05 May 2025 (JD 2460800.5)
Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc15.98 yr (5,836 days)
Earliest precovery date15 October 2006
Aphelion181.17±0.23 AU
Perihelion38.695±0.011 AU
109.93±0.14 AU
Eccentricity0.648
1152.6±2.2 yr (421000±820 days)
323.47±0.09°
0° 0m 3.096s / day
Inclination26.7787°
131.133±0.003°
23 April 2142 ±26 days
28.55±0.03°
Known satellites0
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
635+57
−62 km[3]
0.131+0.038
−0.028[3]
g–r = 0.77±0.11
r–i = 0.39±0.07
i-z = 0.22±0.16[3]
23.38±0.05[3]

2014 UZ224 is a large trans-Neptunian object orbiting in the scattered disc of the outermost regions of the Solar System, estimated to be around 550 to 700 km (350 to 450 miles) in diameter. As of 2021, it is approximately 89.7 AU (13.42 billion km) from the Sun, and will slowly decrease in distance until it reaches its perihelion of 38 AU in 2142. The discoverers have nicknamed it "DeeDee" for "Distant Dwarf".[4][5]

2014 UZ224 was discovered by a team led by David Gerdes using data collected by the large camera Dark Energy Camera (DECam).[6][7] The discovery was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 11 October 2016.[8] Assuming its nominal diameter of 635 km (395 mi), it reflects just 13 percent of the sunlight that hits it.[3][2] The earliest known precovery observations of 2014 UZ224 were taken at the Mauna Kea Observatory on 15 October 2006.[1]

2014 UZ224 has not yet been imaged by high-resolution telescopes, so it has no known moons.[9] The Hubble Space Telescope is planned to image 2014 UZ224 in 2026, which should determine if it has any significantly sized moons.[9]

Orbit

Discovery images of 2014 UZ224 by DECam from 21 and 23 October 2014
Diagram showing the orbits of 2014 UZ224 (gray) and the outer planets. The vertical gray lines along 2014 UZ224's orbit mark its vertical positions above and below the ecliptic plane.

2014 UZ224 orbits the Sun once every approximately 1,150 years and at the current point in its orbit is the second farthest known object from the Sun with a stable orbit. Its perihelion is calculated to be a bit closer than Pluto's semi-major axis, and it is calculated to reach it in 2142.

Numbering and naming

As of 2025, 2014 UZ224 has not been numbered by the Minor Planet Center, as the uncertainty of its orbit is still large. The discoverers will have sole right to propose a name for ten years from the date it is numbered.

See also

  • List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun

References

  1. ^ a b "2014 UZ224". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2014 UZ224)" (last observation: 2022-10-07; arc: 15.98 years). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Gerdes, D. W.; Sako, M.; Hamilton, S.; Zhang, K.; Khain, T.; Becker, J. C.; et al. (April 2017). "Discovery and Physical Characterization of a Large Scattered Disk Object at 92 AU". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 839 (1): 7. arXiv:1702.00731. Bibcode:2017ApJ...839L..15G. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa64d8. S2CID 35694455.
  4. ^ Scoles, Sarah (18 October 2016). "Soon you won't care about a newly discovered dwarf planet". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
  5. ^ "New dwarf planet solar system's 2nd most distant". University of Michigan News. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  6. ^ Cofield, Calla (12 October 2016). "New Dwarf Planet Found in Our Solar System". Scientific American. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  7. ^ Palca, Joe (11 October 2016). "A Friend for Pluto: Astronomers Find New Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System". NPR.org.
  8. ^ "MPEC MPEC 2016-T104 : 2014 UZ224". IAU Minor Planet Center. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016. (K14UM4Z)
  9. ^ a b Proudfoot, Benjamin (August 2025). "A Search For The Moons of Mid-Sized TNOs". Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Space Telescope Science Institute: HST Proposal 18010. Cycle 33. Retrieved 17 August 2025.


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