A trans-neptunian object has been discovered using the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope!
The object was discovered on Dec. 3, 2021 – Jesuit Richard Boyle made the first observations, and analysis was done by Lithuanian astronomer and astrophysicist Kazimieras Černis.
Peter Veres of the IAU’s Minor Planet Center calculated the object’s orbit using these and subsequent observations by Boyle; Peter also happens to be an alumnus of the 2007 Vatican Observatory Summer School!
The object has an orbital period of 286.98 years, with a perihelion of 35.26 AU, and an aphelion of 51.76 AU; as of this writing, it is 35.27 AU from the Sun – very close to perihelion.
