20000 Varuna

Ownership: UCP
System: Sol system
Type: Dwarf planet

An object in the Kuiper Belt of the Sol system, beyond the orbit of Neptune (semimajor axis 42.90 AU). Varuna has equivalent circular diameter D = 950 kilometers and red geometric albedo p = 0.068. The surface is darker than Pluto, due to a composition largely devoid of fresh ice, but higher than the canonical albedo of 0.04 previously assumed for these bodies.

Orbital characteristics

Aphelion: 45.313 AU (6778.797 Gm)
Perihelion: 40.494 AU (6057.848 Gm)
Semi-major axis: 42.904 AU (6418.322 Gm)
Eccentricity: 0.056
Orbital period: 281.03 a (102646.1 d)
Average orbital speed: 4.53 km/s
Mean anomaly: 101.764°
Inclination: 17.2°
Longitude of ascending node: 97.303°
Argument of perihelion: 266.736°