28978 Ixion

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Template:Minor Planet (28978) Ixion (ik·sye'·un) is a Kuiper belt object discovered on May 22, 2001 with a diameter of < 822 km and a semimajor axis of about 39.5 AU. Ixion is a Plutino, meaning it has a 3:2 orbital resonance with Neptune.

Little is known about this object. The latest spectroscopy results indicate that the Ixionian surface is a mixture of dark carbon and tholin, which is a heteropolymer formed by irradiation of clathrates of water and organic compounds (such as methane or ethane).

(28978) Ixion is named after Ixion, a figure from Greek mythology. It previously had the provisional designation Template:Mp.

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Orbit

Image:TheKuiperBelt Orbits Ixion2.svg
Ixion and Pluto follow similar but differently oriented orbits as shown on the diagram (Ixion in green , Pluto in red, Neptune in grey, the positions as of April 2006). Ixion’s perihelion is below the ecliptic. Uncharacteristically for the bodies locked in the resonance (see Orcus), Ixion approaches Pluto with less than 20 degrees angular separation. Ixion is currently crossing the ecliptic heading below, and will reach its perihelion in 2070. Pluto has passed the perihelion (1989) and is descending toward the ecliptic.

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