(225088) 2007 OR10 - Dwarf-planet Status

Dwarf-planet Status

Brown states that 2007 OR10 "must be a dwarf planet even if predominantly rocky", and Scott Sheppard et al. believe it is "likely" to be one, based on its minimum possible diameter (532 km) and what is understood of the conditions for hydrostatic equilibrium in cold icy and rocky bodies. However, the IAU has not classified it as a dwarf planet. It has not been proven that a TNO of 532 km will necessarily be in equilibrium. It is too distant to resolve its diameter directly; Brown's estimate of 1,000–1,500 km is based on calculating the albedo that is the best fit in his model, though this agrees with the 1,070–1,490 km determined from observations by the Herschel space observatory. 2007 OR10 has no known satellite, and without a satellite with a well-determined orbit its mass cannot be calculated directly (see three-body problem); mass is also a factor in hydrostatic equilibrium.

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