Orbital elements and other data (Assumed or derived values in parenthesis, my estimates in italics and parenthesis. Source identifications in brackets, see this link for sources):

Primary discovered 4 June 2002 by C. A. Trujillo and M. E. Brown and Palomar Observatory, California, USA; subsequently linked to observations to 25 May 1954. Alternate designation 2002 LM60.

Companion discovered by M. E. Brown and T.-A. Suer using Hubble Space Telescope observations from 14 February 2006; reported 22 February 2007. Name assigned 11 November 2009.

See more information and links at Asteroid/Comet Connection Catchall Catalog page

--Links, more technical:

• IAUC 8812.
• IAUC 9094.

--Links, less technical:

--Links to ADS abstracts:

• Desch, S. J., Cook, J. C., Hawley, W., & Doggett, T. C. 2007, Lunar and Planetary Institute Conference Abstracts Cryovolcanism on Charon and Other Kuiper Belt Objects
• Rabinowitz, David L., Schaefer, Bradley E., & Tourtellotte, Suzanne W. 2007, Astronomical Journal The Diverse Solar Phase Curves of Distant Icy Bodies. I. Photometric Observations of 18 Trans-Neptunian Objects, 7 Centaurs, and Nereid
• Bernstein, M. P., Mastrapa, R., & Sandford, S. 2006, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts Near IR spectra and real and imaginary indicies of refraction of ices of relevance to KBOs
• Emery, J. P., Dalle Ore, C., Cruikshank, D. P., Fernandez, Y. R., Trilling, D. E., & Stansberry, J. A. 2006, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts Reflectances of Kuiper Belt Objects at lambda > 2.5 microns
• Moore, Marla H., Hudson, R. L., & Ferrante, R. F. 2006, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts IR Studies of Ammonia Hydrates: Effects of Thermal and Radiation Processing
• Bernstein, Max, Sandford, S., & Cruikshank, D. 2006, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts Near IR Spectra of H2O/CH4 And H2O/CO2 Ice Mixtures of Relevance to the Outer Solar System
• Cook, Jason C., Desch, S. J., Roush, T. L., Geballe, T. R., & Trujullo, C. A. 2006, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Charon: Possible Evidence for Cryovolcanism on Kuiper Belt Objects
• Bagnulo, S., Boehnhardt, H., Muinonen, K., Kolokolova, L., Belskaya, I., & Barucci, M. A. 2006, Astronomy and Astrophysics Exploring the surface properties of transneptunian objects and Centaurs with polarimetric FORS1/VLT observations
• Hussmann, H., Sohl, F., & Spohn, T. 2005, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts Sub-Surface Oceans on Mid-Sized Icy Satellites and Large TNO's
• Durand-Manterola, H. J. 2005, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts A Definition of Planet
• Rhoads, Edward 2005, Ph.D. Thesis A survey for TNOs using the APS POSS I database
• Schaefer, B. E., Rabinowitz, D., & Tourtellotte, S. 2005, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Nightly Observations in BVI of 25 KBOs and Centaurs Over a Whole Observing Season
• Mastrapa, R. M. E., Moore, M. H., Hudson, R. L., Ferrante, R. L., & Brown, R. H. 2005, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Proton Irradiation of Crystalline Water Ice: Timescales for Amorphization in the Kuiper Belt
• Trujillo, C. A., Barkume, K. M., Brown, M., Schaller, E. L., & Rabinowitz, D. L. 2005, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Near Infrared Spectra from Mauna Kea of the New Brightest Kuiper Belt Object
• Brown, Michael 2005, HST Proposal Direct measurement of the size of 2003 UB313
• Rhoads, E. 2005, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society A Survey For TNOs Using the APS POSS I Database
• Leto, G., Gomis, O., & Strazzulla, G. 2005, Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana Supplement The reflectance spectrum of water ice: Is the 1.65 mu msp peak a good temperature probe?.
• Jewitt, David C. & Luu, Jane 2004, Nature Crystalline water ice on the Kuiper belt object (50000) Quaoar
• Stevenson, David J. 2004, Nature Planetary science: Volcanoes on Quaoar?
• Rhoads, E., Humphries, R., Woodward, C., & Larsen, J. 2004, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society A survey for TNOs using the APS POSS I database
• Prentice, A. J. R. 2004, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Titan and Phoebe: Predicted Bulk Chemical Composition and Structure for a Capture Origin
• Pinilla-Alonso, N., Licandro, J., & Campins, H. 2004, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Mineralogical analysis of two different kind of icy surfaces in the trans-neptunian belt, TNOs (50000) Quaoar and 2002 TX<SUB>300</SUB>
• Rabinowitz, D., Tourtellotte, S., & Schaefer, B. 2004, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society The Wavelength Dependence of TNO and Centaur Phase Curves
• Barentine, J. C., Esquerdo, G. A., & Neese, C. L. 2004, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society The APO-PSI TNO Survey
• Brown, Michael E. & Trujillo, Chadwick A. 2004, Astronomical Journal Direct Measurement of the Size of the Large Kuiper Belt Object (50000) Quaoar
• Pinilla, N. & Licandro, J. 2004, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly Mineralogycal analysis of the icy surface of TNOs (50000) Quaoar and 2002 TX<SUB>300</SUB>
• de Bergh, C., Barucci, A., Doressoundiram, A., & Dotto, E. 2004, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly Spectroscopy of Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs
• Ortiz, J. L., Gutiérrez, P. J., Sota, A., Casanova, V., & Teixeira, V. R. 2003, Astronomy and Astrophysics Rotational brightness variations in Trans-Neptunian Object 50000 Quaoar
• Marchi, S., Lazzarin, M., Magrin, S., & Barbieri, C. 2003, Astronomy and Astrophysics Visible spectroscopy of the two largest known trans-Neptunian objects: Ixion and Quaoar
• Trujillo, C. A. & Brown, M. E. 2003, Earth Moon and Planets The Caltech Wide Area Sky Survey
• Hughes, David W. 2003, Astronomy and Geophysics Planets: Quaoar and the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt
• Trujillo, C. A. & Brown, M. E. 2003, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society The Caltech survey for the brightest Kuiper belt objects
• Rabinowitz, D., Schaefer, B., & Tourtellotte, S. 2003, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Solar Phase Curves for Kuiper-Belt Objects
• Licandro, J., Campins, H., de Leon Cruz, J., Gil-Hutton, R., & Lara-Lopez, L. M. 2003, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Near infrared spectroscopy of TNOs, Centaurs and comet nuclei.

© 2007-2009, 2012 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 3 November 2012.
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