Dziewanna and Other Small Bodies of the Solar System

In March 2010, with the start of the fourth phase of the OGLE project, a new observation plan was initiated to explore large, previously unexamined regions of the sky. Researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw used the telescope at Las Campanas in Chile to search for objects in the distant regions of the Solar System. Over the following weeks, they discovered several large, previously unknown bodies—so-called trans-Neptunian objects, located beyond the orbit of Neptune.

The most interesting of these celestial bodies was provisionally designated 2010 EK139. Initial estimates suggested it was large, making it one of the largest Solar System objects discovered in recent times. After a few years, once its precise orbit was determined, it received a permanent identification number: 471143, assigned by the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union.

It was found that 471143 orbits the outskirts of the Solar System in a highly elliptical path. Its closest approach to the Sun is about 32 astronomical units (AU)—32 times the distance between Earth and the Sun (approximately 150 million km). At its farthest, it reaches 105 AU. Its orbital period around the Sun is roughly 570 years. Observations also showed that it reflects sunlight quite well, indicating that its surface is at least partially covered with ice.

For trans-Neptunian objects, discoverers may propose a proper name, which must follow certain criteria—usually drawn from the deities of various mythologies. The researchers chose to remain within the Slavic pantheon and selected the young, beautiful, golden-haired goddess Dziewanna, a protector of wild nature, forests, and groves. She brings spring, new life, and renewal to the Earth. This name was officially accepted, and since 2018, Dziewanna has been officially orbiting at the edge of the Solar System.

Dziewanna is one of the larger bodies in the Solar System. Further studies revealed its diameter is at least 500 km, roughly one-seventh the size of the Moon. This makes Dziewanna among the forty largest Solar System objects and the largest discovered by Polish astronomers in our planetary system.