Cis-Neptunian object

Types of Distant Minor Planets v · d · e
Cis-Neptunian objects Centaurs Neptune trojans Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)* Kuiper-belt objects (KBOs) Classical KBOs (Cubewanos) Resonant KBOs Plutinos (2:3 Resonance) Scattered-disc objects (SDOs) Resonant SDOs Detached objects Oort cloud objects (OCOs) *Trans-Neptunian dwarf planets are "plutoids"

A cis-Neptunian object is, literally, any astronomical body found within the orbit of Neptune.^[1] However, the term is typically used for those distant minor planets other than trans-Neptunian objects: that is, all sub-planetary bodies orbiting the Sun at or within the distance of Neptune, but outside the orbit of Jupiter. This includes the icy minor planets known as centaurs^[2] and the Neptune trojans.^[3]

Centaurs orbit the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune, often crossing the orbits of the large gas giant planets. There is an emerging sense^[2] that the centaurs may simply be objects similar to scattered disc objects that were knocked inwards from the Kuiper belt rather than outwards, making them cis-Neptunian rather than trans-Neptunian scattered-disc objects.

Neptune trojans, named by analogy to the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, are a stable reservoir of small bodies sharing Neptune's orbit.^[4] As of August 2010, all known Neptune trojans except one lie in an elongated region around the L₄ Lagrangian point 60° ahead of Neptune.

Notes

1. ^{^} These are 2001 QR₃₂₂, 2004 UP₁₀, 2005 TN₅₃, 2005 TO₇₄, 2006 RJ₁₀₃ and 2007 VL₃₀₅.^[3]

References

1. ^ Remo, John L. (2007). Classifying Solid Planetary Bodies. New trends in astrodynamics and applications III. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 886, pp. 284-302.
2. ^ ^{a b} J Horner, NW Evans, ME Bailey, DJ Asher (2003). "The Populations of Comet-like Bodies in the Solar System". http://star.arm.ac.uk/preprints/396.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "List Of Neptune Trojans". Minor Planet Center. http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/NeptuneTrojans.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27. 
4. ^ Sheppard, Scott S.; Trujillo, Chadwick A. (June 2006). "A Thick Cloud of Neptune Trojans and Their Colors" (PDF). Science 313 (5786): 511–514. Bibcode 2006Sci...313..511S. doi:10.1126/science.1127173. PMID 16778021. http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/sheppard/pub/Sheppard06NepTroj.pdf. Retrieved 2008-02-26.