twotino

English

Etymology

Blend of two +‎ plutino.

Noun

twotino (plural twotinos)

1. (astronomy) Any astronomical object, on the apparent outer edge of the Kuiper Belt, whose orbit has a 1:2 resonance with the planet Neptune.
   • 2009, A. C. Quillen, “Resonances in Galactic and Circumstellar Disks”, in G. Contopoulos, P. A. Patsis, editors, Chaos in Astronomy: Conference 2007, Springer, page 199:

     This provides a possible explanation for the low fraction of twotinos compared to plutinos in the Kuiper belt.

   • 2017, Thomas H. Burbine, Asteroids, Cambridge University Press, page 234:

     Plutinos are Kuiper belt objects in a 2:3 resonance (a = 39.4 AU) with Neptune and are named after Pluto since these bodies have orbits similar to Pluto. Twotinos are objects that are in a 1:2 resonance (a = 47.8 AU) with Neptune.

   • 2021, Barbara Ryden, Bradley M. Peterson, Foundations of Astrophysics, Cambridge University Press, page 276:

     These objects have been given the name of twotinos (rhymes with "plutinos").
     Interestingly, there are very few low-eccentricity TNOs beyond the twotinos.

Translations

trans-Neptunian object whose orbit is in 1:2 resonance with Neptune

See also

• Kuiper cliff