"Farout" redirects here. Not to be confused with FarFarOut. For other uses, see Far Out (disambiguation).
2018 VG18
Discovery images of 2018 VG18
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered by
S. S. Sheppard D. Tholen C. Trujillo
Discovery site
Mauna Kea Obs.
Discovery date
10 November 2018
Designations
MPC designation
2018 VG18
Alternative designations
"Farout" (nickname)[3]
Minor planet category
TNO[4]· SDO[5] resonant (2:9)[6]· distant[2]
Orbital characteristics (barycentric)[7][4]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 6
Observation arc
16.15 yr (5,900 d)
Earliest precovery date
21 November 2003[2]
Aphelion
124.897±0.043 AU (occurs 2063)[8]
Perihelion
38.358±0.030 AU
Semi-major axis
81.628±0.028 AU
Eccentricity
0.5301±0.0004
Orbital period (sidereal)
737.01±0.38 yr
Mean anomaly
157.653°±0.473°
Mean motion
0° 0m 4.814s / day
Inclination
24.292°±0.002°
Longitude of ascending node
245.325°±0.001°
Time of perihelion
≈ 1696[9] ±30 years
Argument of perihelion
16.865°±0.171°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
656 km (albedo 0.12)[10] 500 km (est.)[3]
Apparent magnitude
24.6[11]
Absolute magnitude (H)
3.94±0.52[4]
2018 VG18 is a distant trans-Neptunian object (TNO) that was discovered when it was 123 AU (18 billion km; 11 billion mi) away from the Sun, more than three times the average distance between the Sun and Pluto. It was discovered on 10 November 2018 by Scott Sheppard, David Tholen, and Chad Trujillo during their search for TNOs whose orbits might be gravitationally influenced by the hypothetical Planet Nine. They announced the discovery of 2018 VG18 on 17 December 2018 and nicknamed the object "Farout" to emphasize its distance from the Sun.
2018 VG18 is the second-most distant natural object ever observed in the Solar System, after 2018 AG37 (132 AU), which was also discovered by Sheppard's team in January 2018. As of 2024[update], 2018 VG18 is 123.6 AU (18 billion km) away from the Sun and is moving farther away until it reaches aphelion in 2063.[8] While 2018 VG18 is one of the most distant Solar System objects known, its orbit is nowhere near being the most distant since its average orbital distance from the Sun is 82 AU, which places it in the scattered disk and the 2:9 orbital resonance with Neptune. Little is known about 2018 VG18's physical properties other than its pinkish color, which indicates an ice-rich surface.
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^JPL Horizons Perihelion 1695 Observer Location: @sun (Perihelion occurs when deldot changes from negative to positive. Uncertainty in time of perihelion is 3-sigma.)
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2018VG18 is a distant trans-Neptunian object (TNO) that was discovered when it was 123 AU (18 billion km; 11 billion mi) away from the Sun, more than...
positions of 2018 AG37 in those images, Sheppard estimated its distance was roughly around 140 astronomical units (AU), farther than 2018VG18 which was...
it was captured by Neptune. Bodies with very poorly known sizes (e.g. 2018VG18 "Farout") have been excluded. Complicating the situation for poorly known...
Out", a 1991 song by Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era Farout, a nickname for 2018VG18, a trans-Neptunian object Far Out (website), a British culture magazine...
the most distant known trans-Neptunian object 2018 AG37 was discovered by Scott Sheppard in January 2018 but was announced three years later in February...
discoveries are close to the heliopause (120 AU) or well beyond it (2018VG18, 2018 AG37, 2020 BE102, 2020 MK53). An analysis of the TNO data available...
Solar System object from the Sun as of May 2022[update], after 2018VG18 (124 AU) and 2018 AG37 (~132 AU). "MPEC 2022-K172 : 2020 BE102". Minor Planet Electronic...
object from the Sun as of September 2023[update], well ahead of 2018VG18 (124 AU) and 2018 AG37 (~132 AU). Given its very short data-arc the only reliable...
May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 38628 Huya (2000 EB173)" (2009-06-13 last obs). Archived from the original on 2018-05-07...
the 9th-most-distant known minor planet in the Solar System, after 2018 AG37, 2018VG18, 2020 FY30, 2020 FA31, Eris, 2015 TH367, 2014 UZ224, and Gonggong...
Claudine Rinner at the Oukaïmeden Observatory on 21 December 2017. On 21 June 2018, the pair of asteroids passed within 15.5 lunar distances or approximately...
features an airstrip with a 2,240-foot (683 m) runway, with the FAA identifier VG18. Directly next to the airstrip is a dog park open year-round from dawn to...