Classical_Kuiper_belt_object | TriviaQuestions.online

⭐ Core Definition: Classical Kuiper belt object

A classical Kuiper belt object, also called a cubewano (/ˌkjuːbiːˈwʌnoʊ/ "QB1-o"), is a low-eccentricity Kuiper belt object (KBO) that orbits beyond Neptune and is not controlled by an orbital resonance with Neptune. Cubewanos have orbits with semi-major axes in the 40–50 AU range and, unlike Pluto, do not cross Neptune's orbit. That is, they have low-eccentricity and sometimes low-inclination orbits like the classical planets.

The name "cubewano" derives from the first trans-Neptunian object (TNO) found after Pluto and Charon: 15760 Albion, which until January 2018 had only the provisional designation (15760) 1992 QB₁. Similar objects found later were often called "QB1-os", or "cubewanos", after this object, though the term "classical" is much more frequently used in the scientific literature.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Detached object

Detached objects are a dynamical class of minor planets in the outer reaches of the Solar System and belong to the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). These objects have orbits whose points of closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) are sufficiently distant from the gravitational influence of Neptune that they are only moderately affected by Neptune and the other known planets: This makes them appear to be "detached" from the rest of the Solar System, except for their attraction to the Sun.

In this way, detached objects differ substantially from most other known TNOs, which form a loosely defined set of populations that have been perturbed to varying degrees onto their current orbit by gravitational encounters with the giant planets, predominantly Neptune. Detached objects have larger perihelia than these other TNO populations, including the objects in orbital resonance with Neptune, such as Pluto, the classical Kuiper belt objects in non-resonant orbits such as Makemake, and the scattered disk objects like Eris.

↓ Explore More Topics

In this Dossier

⭐ Core Definition: Classical Kuiper belt object
👉 Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Detached object
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Trans-Neptunian object
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Sila–Nunam
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of 148780 Altjira
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Solar System object
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Actaea (moon)
Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of List of trans-Neptunian objects

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Trans-Neptunian object

A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU).

Typically, TNOs are further divided into the classical and resonant objects of the Kuiper belt, the scattered disc and detached objects with the sednoids being the most distant ones. As of February 2025, the catalog of minor planets contains 1006 numbered and more than 4000 unnumbered TNOs. However, nearly 5900 objects with semimajor axis over 30 AU are present in the MPC catalog, with 1009 being numbered.

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Sila–Nunam

79360 Sila–Nunam (provisional designation 1997 CS₂₉) is a cold classical Kuiper belt object (cubewano) and binary system made up of components of almost equal size, called Sila and Nunam, orbiting beyond Neptune in the Solar System. The name of the system is the combined names of the two bodies, Sila and Nunam.

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of 148780 Altjira

148780 Altjira (provisional designation 2001 UQ₁₈) appears to be a triple or contact binary double classical Kuiper belt object. The secondary is large compared to the primary, approximately 246 kilometres (153 mi) vs. 221 kilometres (137 mi). The lightcurve is quite flat (Δmag<0.10), which is indicative of a "quasi-spherical body with a homogeneous surface".The system mass is 4 × 10 kg.

Its companion was discovered on 6 August 2006, from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The secondary's orbit has the following parameters: semi-major-axis, 9904 ± 56 km; period, 139.561 ± 0.047 days; eccentricity, 0.3445 ± 0.0045; and inclination, 35.19 ± 0.19° (retrograde). There is indirect evidence that Altjira may be an unresolved hierarchical triple system.

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Solar System object

The following is a list of Solar System objects by orbit, ordered by increasing distance from the Sun. Most named objects in this list have a diameter of 500 km or more.

The Sun, a spectral class G2V main-sequence star
The inner Solar System and the terrestrial planets
- Mercury
  - Mercury-crossing minor planets
- Venus
  - Venus-crossing minor planets
    - Zoozve, Venus' quasi-satellite
- Earth
- Mars
- Asteroids in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
  - Ceres, a dwarf planet
  - Vesta
  - Pallas
  - Hygiea
  - Europa (asteroid)
  - Davida
  - Sylvia
  - Asteroids number in the hundreds of thousands. For longer lists, see list of exceptional asteroids, list of asteroids, or list of Solar System objects by size.
    - Asteroid moons
- A number of smaller groups distinct from the asteroid belt
The outer Solar System with the giant planets, their satellites, trojan asteroids and some minor planets
- Jupiter
  - Rings of Jupiter
  - Complete list of Jupiter's natural satellites
    - Galilean moons
  - Jupiter trojans
  - Jupiter-crossing minor planets
- Saturn
  - Rings of Saturn
  - Complete list of Saturn's natural satellites
    - Mimas
    - Enceladus
    - Tethys (trojans: Telesto and Calypso)
    - Dione (trojans: Helene and Polydeuces)
    - Rhea
      - Rings of Rhea (largely disproven)
    - Titan
    - Hyperion
    - Iapetus
    - Phoebe
    - Shepherd moons
  - Saturn-crossing minor planets
- Uranus
  - Rings of Uranus
  - Complete list of Uranus's natural satellites
  - Uranus trojan (2011 QF99)
  - Uranus-crossing minor planets
- Neptune
  - Rings of Neptune
  - Complete list of Neptune's natural satellites
  - Neptune trojans
  - Neptune-crossing minor planets
- Non-trojan minor planets
  - Centaurs
    - Chiron
    - Chariklo
  - Damocloids
- Trans-Neptunian objects (beyond the orbit of Neptune)
  - Kuiper-belt objects (KBOs)
    - Plutinos
      - Orcus, a dwarf planet
        Vanth
      - Pluto, a dwarf planet
        Complete list of Pluto's natural satellites
        Charon
      - Ixion
      - Achlys
    - Twotinos
    - Cubewanos (classical objects)
      - Haumea, a dwarf planet
        Namaka
        Hiʻiaka
      - Quaoar, a dwarf planet
        Weywot
      - Makemake, a dwarf planet
        S/2015 (136472) 1
      - Máni
      - Salacia
        Actaea
      - Aya
      - Varda
        Ilmarë
      - Varuna
      - Ritona
      - Arrokoth
  - Scattered-disc objects
    - Gonggong, a dwarf planet
      - Xiangliu
    - Eris, a dwarf planet
      - Dysnomia
    - Chiminigagua
    - (84522) 2002 TC302
    - (87269) 2000 OO67
    - 2015 TH367/V774104
  - Detached objects
    - (612911) 2004 XR190
    - 2012 VP113 (possibly inner Oort cloud)
    - Sedna, a dwarf planet (possibly inner Oort cloud)
  - Oort cloud (hypothetical)
    - Hills cloud/inner Oort cloud
    - Outer Oort cloud

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Actaea (moon)

Actaea, formal designation (120347) Salacia I, is the only known moon of the classical Kuiper belt object 120347 Salacia. Its diameter is estimated to be 393 km (244 mi), which is approximately one-half the diameter of Salacia; thus, Salacia and Actaea are viewed by William Grundy et al. to be a binary system. Assuming that the following size estimates are correct, Actaea is about the fifth-biggest known moon of a trans-Neptunian object, after Charon (1212 km), Dysnomia (615 km), Vanth (443 km), and Ilmarë (403 km).

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of List of trans-Neptunian objects

This is a list of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are minor planets in the Solar System that orbit the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune, which means all of their orbits have a semi-major axis greater than 30.1 astronomical units (AU). The Kuiper belt, scattered disk, and Oort cloud are three conventional divisions of this volume of space. As of October 2025, the catalog of minor planets contains 1,037 numbered TNOs. In addition, there are 4,518 unnumbered TNOs, which have been observed since 1993.

This list consists of all types of TNO subgroups: classical Kuiper belt objects, also known as "cubewanos", the resonant trans-Neptunian objects with their main and higher-order resonant subgroups, the scattered disc objects (SDOs), and the extreme trans-Neptunian objects including the ESDOs, EDDOs, and sednoids, which have a semi-major axis of at least 150 AU and a perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) greater than that of Neptune. The list also contains several centaurs, if the object's orbit has a sufficiently large semi-major axis (a). Centaurs have unstable orbits in which the perihelion (q) is well inside of Neptune's orbit but the farthest point (aphelion, Q) is very distant.

↑ Return to Menu

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of "Detached object"

Play Trivia Questions online!

Skip to study material about Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of "Detached object"

⭐ Core Definition: Classical Kuiper belt object

👉 Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Detached object

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Trans-Neptunian object

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Sila–Nunam

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of 148780 Altjira

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Solar System object

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of Actaea (moon)

Classical Kuiper belt object in the context of List of trans-Neptunian objects