About 2004 MU8
2004 MU8 is a rare kbo. It swings within 40.986 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.
Rare kbo 47 EP
2004 MU8
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
This object moves — fetching its current position…
Score breakdown
· 5 badgesRare 50 pts → Epic
- Spinning past the rubble-pile limit +22
- Trans-Neptunian object +12
- Notably bright (low H) +8
- Kuiper-belt object +5
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 47
3 more points to reach Epic.
Badges
- Kuiper-belt object · +5
- Notably bright (low H) · +8
- Catalogue designation only
- Trans-Neptunian object · +12
- Spinning past the rubble-pile limit · +22
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 299 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 40.98 and 48.48 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is about 11.6× the length of Manhattan island.
- Walk around it. Walking its equator at a steady pace, eight hours a day, would take about 19.7 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 251 km across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- aphelion au
- 48.48
- designation
- 2004 MU8
- eccentricity
- 0.0838
- full name
- (2004 MU8)
- h mag
- 5.75
- inclination
- 3.58
- mean motion deg day
- 0.0033
- moid au
- 40
- name
- 2004 MU8
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- TNO
- perihelion au
- 40.986
- rotation period h
- 2
- semi major au
- 44.73
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, 2004 MU8 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 2004 MU8 is a rare kbo
2004 MU8 scores 47 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Kuiper-belt object, Notably bright (low H), Catalogue designation only, Trans-Neptunian object and Spinning past the rubble-pile limit — 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.