469705 ǂKá̦gára
Stacked Hubble Space Telescope images of ǂKá̦gára and ǃHãunu | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Marc Buie |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak Observatory |
| Discovery date | 11 March 2005 |
| Designations | |
| (469705) ǂKá̦gára | |
| Pronunciation |
|
Named after | ǂKá̦gára (ǀXam mythology) |
| 2005 EF298 | |
| Cold classical KBO | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch (JD 2460800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 2 | |
| Observation arc | 19.91 yr (7271 d) |
| Aphelion | 47.884 AU |
| Perihelion | 40.078 AU |
| 43.981 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.088 |
| 292.45 yr (106744.25 d) | |
| 118.059° | |
| 0.00337 0° 0m 0s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.86° |
| 117.968° | |
| 74.969° | |
| Known satellites | 1 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 138+21 −25 km, assuming same albedo as ǃHãunu | |
| Mass | (1.29±0.07)×1018 kg, assuming same density and albedo as ǃHãunu |
Mean density | 1.1+0.9 −0.4 g/cm3, assuming equal compositions of the bodies |
| HV = 6.2±0.5 | |
469705 ǂKá̦gára (provisional designation 2005 EF298) is a trans-Neptunian object and binary system of the core Kuiper belt, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 11 March 2005 by American astronomer Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona. The primary body measures around 140 kilometers (90 miles) in diameter. Its 120-kilometer (75-mile) companion ǃHãunu was discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. The ǂKá̦gára–ǃHãunu system is currently undergoing mutual occultation and eclipsing events in which one body casts a shadow on or obstructs the view of the other as seen from Earth.