(65489) Ceto Trans-Neptunian Object
Discovered on 22 March 2003 by Trujillo, C. A., Brown, M. E. at Palomar.
The satellite (65489) Ceto I, discovered 2006 Apr. 11 by K. Noll, H. Levison, W. Grundy and D. Stephens using the Hubble Space Telescope, is named Phorcys, for another child of Gaia and Pontus. Phorcys is represented with a man's head, crab's claws and a fish tail. Together the monstrous sea creatures Ceto and Phorcys produced numerous offspring, including many monstrous creatures known collectively as the Phorcydides.Naming citation (20061109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ceto is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ceto is 46.0 au from the Sun and 46.7 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 65489 |
| Provisional designation | 2003 FX128 |
| Orbit class | Trans-Neptunian Object |
| Rotation period | 4.43 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.47 |
| Orbital period | 1,013 years |
| Semi-major axis | 101 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 17.7 – 184 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.824 |
| Inclination | 22.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 16.8 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.