(434620) 2005 VD
2005 VD, provisional designation, is a centaur and damocloid on a retrograde orbit from the outer Solar System, known for having the second most highly inclined orbit of any small Solar System body, behind. It was the most highly inclined known object between 2005 and 2013. The unusual object measures approximately in diameter.
Description
This minor planet was discovered on 1 November 2005, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. Precovery images have been found by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey from September 2005 and December 2001.Classification
has a semi-major axis greater than Jupiter and almost crosses the orbit of Jupiter when near perihelion. JPL lists it as a current centaur. Both the Deep Ecliptic Survey, and the Minor Planet Center have listed it as a centaur at different epochs. The DES and MPC will list it as a centaur again in 2032.Lowell Observatory also has it listed as a damocloid object.
makes occasional close approaches to Jupiter, coming only from Jupiter in 1903, in 2057, and in 2093. However it made a close approach to Jupiter when it was only away from it on 17 December 2022 which was the closest it could get to Jupiter for the decade.