Using the powerful 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile, astronomers just ten days ago discovered an asteroid with the shortest orbital period of any known asteroid in the Solar System. The orbit of the approximately 1-kilometer-diameter asteroid takes it as close as 20 million kilometers (12 million miles or 0.13 au), from the Sun every 113 days. Asteroid 2021 PH27, revealed in images acquired during twilight, also has the smallest mean distance (semi-major axis) of any known asteroid in our Solar System — only Mercury has a shorter period and smaller semi-major axis. The asteroid is so close to the Sun’s massive gravitational field, it experiences the largest general relativistic effects of any known Solar System object.
The release, images and videos are available on:
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2123/
Kind regards,
NOIRLab Communications, Education & Engagement
23 Aug. 2021
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18 Aug. 2021 - rubinann21014
Project & Science News
This year’s Rubin Observatory Project and Community Workshop (Rubin 2021) wrapped up on Friday, August 13. The 5-day meeting was held virtually again this year, and ...
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