There’s still plenty of opportunity for astronomers to discover strange new objects. Researchers using the University of Hawaii’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) have found (via Gizmodo ) a Trojan asteroid, 2019 LD2, that not only follows an odd orbit ahead of Jupiter but also sports an icy tail — it’s a unique “crossover” between asteroid and comet.
More data will be needed to determine just what led to this one-of-a-kind finding, but the university’s Institute for Astronomy suggested that Jupiter might have recently captured the asteroid from a distant (and thus colder) orbit, or that a collision with another space rock might have exposed ice that was previously ‘safe’ from the Sun’s heat. Either way, this revelation could offer more insights about the nature of the Solar System and its history.
Not to change the topic here:
Asteroid news: NASA tracks a 1 MILE asteroid cruising past Earth tonight at 26,000mph | Science |
Asteroid BQ will be closest to Earth today (May 21), flying by from a distance of about 0.04115 astronomical units (au).
NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) tracks all NEOs coming within 0.05au of the planet - that is more than 4.6 million miles.
In other words, at about 10.45pm BST tonight, the asteroid will fly by from a distance of more than 3.8 million miles (6.15 million km), which 16 times as far as the Moon.
... asteroid spotted near Jupiter by astronomers, World News |
Astronomers have discovered a ''first-of-its-kind'' object near Jupiter's orbit, which appears to be a cross between an asteroid and a comet.
The Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) has revealed that a new asteroid with a comet-like-tail has been discovered moving in the same orbit travelled by Jupiter around the sun.
These are known as active asteroids and initially appear to be asteroids but later develop activity, such as tails, that are features of comets.
NASA craft readies for asteroid contact | Local News | joplinglobe.com
This may worth something:
NASA sets date to research asteroid Bennu after coronavirus pandemic caused delays | Fox News
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here .
The space agency said that it now expects the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to begin its first attempt at sampling the asteroid on Oct. 20. The initial date was Aug. 25, but that was pushed back because of the pandemic. The second rehearsal, which was initially scheduled for June, will now take place on Aug. 11.
"The OSIRIS-REx mission has been demonstrating the very essence of exploration by persevering through unexpected challenges," Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science, said in a statement earlier this week. "That spirit has led them to the cusp of the prize we all are waiting for — securing a sample of an asteroid to bring home to Earth, and I'm very excited to follow them through the home stretch."
NASA tracking asteroid size of Big Ben that will skim past Earth today - Daily Star
The asteroid is estimated to measure between 46 and 100 metres in diameter, about the same size as Big Ben.
* * *
NASA has dubbed the rock 2020 JX and it is expected to be around 4.6million miles from planet Earth.
It has also been classified as an Apollo asteroid which is an asteroid that crosses the Earth's orbit and are considered more dangerous than Amor asteroids.
The US Space Administration has said the chances of 2020 JX colliding with Earth are extremely low, despite branding it a Near Earth Object.
Asteroid watch: 'Near Earth Object' will pass by on 20 May
Wondering what the day has in store for your star sign? Here's a quick glance at horoscopes and more for...
NASA Detects 100-Foot Asteroid Approaching, Zipping Past Earth On Tuesday
NASA's asteroid tracking system is currently monitoring a building-sized near-Earth object that will approach and fly past the planet soon. According to the data collected by the agency, the asteroid will intersect Earth's orbit during its upcoming visit.
The approaching asteroid is currently in the database of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The space rock, known as 2020 JP2 , has an estimated diameter of about 102 feet. According to CNEOS, the asteroid is currently moving across the Solar System towards Earth at a speed of over 19,000 miles per hour.
Happening on Twitter
Astronomers spot a strange, first-of-its-kind asteroid near Jupiter https://t.co/Tve04jIsHi https://t.co/ZDBjlkVutQ engadget (from Global) Sun May 24 12:05:42 +0000 2020
Astronomers have gazed into what appears to be a planetary maternity ward, observing for the first time within a hu… https://t.co/cWyBS3xrzt gmanews (from Philippines) Thu May 21 09:00:00 +0000 2020
Astronomers spot potential first evidence of new planet being born https://t.co/TeJBuolncO guardian (from London) Wed May 20 13:33:59 +0000 2020
Astronomers spot likely first evidence of a new planet being born https://t.co/dhl4wnqI4v guardianscience (from London) Wed May 20 12:16:33 +0000 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment