120347 Salacia

Dwarf planet

120347 Salacia (symbol ) is a trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper belt. It is approximately 920 kilometers in diameter. As of 2018, it is found about 44.8 astronomical units from the Sun.

Salacia and its moon Actaea, imaged by the Keck Telescope in 2010

Discovery

change

Salacia was discovered on 22 September 2004, by American astronomers Henry Roe, Michael Brown and Kristina Barkume at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States. It was named after the Roman goddess Salacia. It has one known moon, Actaea.[1]

Physical characteristics

change

It has an average density of 1.51 g/cm3. Salacia is estimated to be around 846 km in diameter. Salacia has the lowest albedo of any known large trans-Neptunian object.

References

change
  1. "IAU Minor Planet Center". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 2020-12-04.