About 1998 WY31
1998 WY31 is an uncommon kbo. It swings within 40 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
A trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper Belt, out where the Sun is little more than the brightest star in a very dark sky.
Uncommon kbo 25 EP
1998 WY31
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
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Score breakdown
· 4 badgesUncommon 34 pts → Rare
- Trans-Neptunian object +12
- Notably bright (low H) +8
- Kuiper-belt object +5
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 25
9 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Kuiper-belt object · +5
- Notably bright (low H) · +8
- Catalogue designation only
- Trans-Neptunian object · +12
Trivia
What it actually is
- Its orbit family. A trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper Belt, out where the Sun is little more than the brightest star in a very dark sky.
- One lap. A single orbit around the Sun takes it about 307 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 40 and 51.06 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is about 6.6× the length of Manhattan island.
- Walk around it. Walking its equator at a steady pace, eight hours a day, would take about 11.2 days.
By the numbers
- Estimated size. Nobody has measured its size directly. Assuming it reflects light like a typical asteroid, its brightness implies something roughly 143 km across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- aphelion au
- 51.05
- designation
- 1998 WY31
- eccentricity
- 0.1214
- full name
- (1998 WY31)
- h mag
- 6.98
- inclination
- 1.98
- mean motion deg day
- 0.0032
- moid au
- 39
- name
- 1998 WY31
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- TNO
- perihelion au
- 40
- semi major au
- 45.53
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, 1998 WY31 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. Because it moves against the background stars, the live position panel on this page tracks where it is right now. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why 1998 WY31 is an uncommon kbo
1998 WY31 scores 25 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 9 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Kuiper-belt object, Notably bright (low H), Catalogue designation only and Trans-Neptunian object — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.