Asteroid Ryugu – Image taken at 20km on 26 June 2018, diameter 870 m. Credit: Hayabusa2/JAXA
A large international collaboration utilized the
Julia Parker is the Principal Beamline Scientist for I14 at Diamond. She said: “The X-ray Nanoprobe allows scientists to examine the chemical structure of their samples at micron to nano lengthscales, which is complemented by the nano to atomic resolution of the imaging at ePSIC. It’s very exciting to be able to contribute to the understanding of these unique samples, and to work with the team at Leicester to demonstrate how the techniques at the beamline, and correlatively at ePSIC, can benefit future sample return missions.”
Image taken at E01 ePSIC of Ryugu serpentine and Fe oxide minerals. Credit: ePSIC/University of Leicester
The data collected at Diamond contributed to a wider study of the space weathering signatures on the asteroid. The pristine asteroid samples enabled the collaborators to explore how space weathering can alter the physical and chemical composition of the surface of carbonaceous asteroids like Ryugu.
The researchers discovered that the surface of Ryugu is dehydrated and that it is likely that space weathering is responsible. The findings of the study, recently published in Nature Astronomy, have led the authors to conclude that asteroids that appear dry on the surface may be water-rich, potentially requiring revision of our understanding of the abundances of asteroid types and the formation history of the asteroid belt.
Ryugu is a near-Earth asteroid, around 900 meters in diameter, first discovered in 1999 within the asteroid belt between
The building blocks of Ryugu are remnants of interactions between water, minerals, and organics in the early Solar System prior to the formation of Earth. Understanding the composition of asteroids can help explain how the early solar system developed, and subsequently how the Earth formed. They may even help explain how life on Earth came about, with asteroids believed to have delivered much of the planet’s water as well as organic compounds such as
Asteroid 2023 BU zipped past Earth Thursday night (Jan. 26) to the delight of amateur astronomers worldwide. For skywatchers without access to a telescope or those who had their view hampered by bad weather, luckily the Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project was there to observe the event and livestream the whole thing for free.
The Virtual Telescope is a robotic telescope operated by Italian amateur astronomer Gianluca Masi near Rome, Italy. As 2023 BU hurtled toward Earth, the telescope was able to track the rock through a gap in the clouds when it was about 13,670 miles (22,000 kilometers) from the closest point on Earth’s surface (about the altitude of the GPS navigation satellite constellation) and 22,990 miles (37,000 km) from the Virtual Telescope.
Masi, who shared an hour-long webcast of the observations on the Virtual Telescope website, wasn’t able to capture the closest approach as clouds rolled in, however. Nonetheless, the Virtual Telescope Project was able to get a good look at the car-sized rock, seen in time-lapse above.
Related: NASA’s DART asteroid impact won’t make Dimorphos hit Earth — but here’s what would happen if it did
The Italy-based Virtual Telescope captured asteroid 2023 BU shortly before its closest approach to Earth. (Image credit: The Virtual Telescope Project)
The rock, discovered less than a week ago on Saturday (Jan. 21), passed above the southern tip of South America at 7:27 p.m. EST on Thursday Jan. 26 (0027 GMT on Jan. 27), at a distance of only 2,240 miles (3,600 km) at its closest point to Earth’s surface.
This close approach makes 2023 BU the fourth nearest asteroid ever observed from Earth, with the exception of five space rocks that were detected before diving into Earth’s atmosphere.
Only 11.5 to 28 feet wide (3.5 to 8.5 meters), 2023 BU posed no danger to the planet. If the trajectories of the two bodies had intersected, the asteroid would mostly have burned up in the atmosphere with only small fragments possibly falling to the ground as meteorites.
In the videos and images shared by Masi, the asteroid is seen as a small bright dot in the center of the frame, while the longer, brighter lines are the surrounding stars. In reality, of course, it was the asteroid that was moving with respect to Earth, traveling at a speed of 21,000 mph (33,800 km/h) with respect to Earth. As Masi’s computerized telescope tracked its positionthe rock appeared stationary in the images while rendering the stars as these moving streaks.
The gravitational kick that 2023 BU received during its encounter with Earth will alter the shape of its orbit around the sun. Previously, the space rock followed a rather circular orbit, completing one lap around the sun in 359 days. From now on, BU 2023 will travel through the inner solar system on a more elliptical path, venturing half way toward Mars at the farthest point of its orbit. This alteration will add 66 days to BU 2023’s orbital period.
The asteroid was discovered by famed Crimea-based astronomer and astrophotographer Gennadiy Borisov, the same man who in 2018 found the first interstellar comet, which now bears his name, Borisov.
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NASA’s mission to an asteroid that could be worth 70,000 times the global economy is expected to begin this year.
The space agency decided back in 2017 that humankind would benefit from a closer look at 16 Psyche. The Psyche mission was initially slated to take place at the end of 2022 but was delayed due to “development problems.” NASA is now planning to launch the Psyche spacecraft this October. The vessel should reach the ultra-valuable asteroid in August 2029.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Psyche asteroid, the upcoming Psyche mission and the Psyche spacecraft.
What Is 16 Psyche?
Artist’s concept of the asteroid 16 Psyche.
Maxar/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Calt
Named after the Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852. The giant M-Type asteroid is thought to be the partial core of a small planet that failed to fully form during the earliest days of our solar system.
The metal-rich asteroid is about the size of Massachusetts and shaped somewhat like a potato, according to astronomers. Its average diameter is about 140 miles—or roughly the distance between Los Angeles and San Diego. The asteroid orbits between Mars and Jupiter at a distance ranging from 235 million to 309 million miles from the Sun. (You can get a real-time simulated view of Psyche here.)
A study published by The Planetary Science Journal in 2020 suggests that Psyche is made almost entirely of iron and nickel. This metallic composition sets it apart from other asteroids that are usually comprised of rock or ice, and could suggest it was originally part of a planetary core. That would not only represent a momentous discovery, it’s key to Psyche’s potential astronomical value: NASA scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton calculated that the iron in the asteroid alone could be worth as much as $10,000 quadrillion (yes, you read that right). For context, the entire global economy is worth roughly $110 trillion as of writing. However, more recent research out of the University of Arizona suggests that the asteroid might not be as metallic or dense as once thought. Psyche could actually be closer to a rubble pile, rather than an exposed planetary core, the research claims. If true, this would devalue the asteroid. NASA’s upcoming mission should settle the debate about Pysche’s composition for once and all.
Of course, Psyche isn’t the only valuable rock in space. NASA has previously said the belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter holds mineral wealth equivalent to about $100 billion for every individual on Earth. Mining the precious metals within each asteroid and successfully getting them back down to earth is the hard part. Then you have the whole supply and demand conundrum that could drive the price of specific metals up or down. We’ll leave the complexities of space mining for another day.
Why Is NASA Traveling to 16 Psyche?
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft in December 2022.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
If Psyche is, in fact, the leftover core of a planet that never properly formed, it could reveal secrets about Earth’s own core. The interior of terrestrial planets is normally hidden beneath the mantle and crust, but Psyche has no such outer layers. The asteroid’s mantle and crust were likely stripped away by multiple violent collisions during our solar system’s early formation. By examining Psyche, we can further understand how Earth’s core came to be. The mission could also provide insights into the formation of our solar system and the planetary systems around other stars.
According to NASA, this marks humanity’s first exploration of a world made largely of metal. The Psyche spacecraft will use special tools to identify the types of materials that make up the asteroid. Is it actually iron and nickel, for instance? Or something else? The craft will also measure Psyche’s gravity and magnetic field and ascertain the asteroid’s topography. All of this will tell us more about Psyche’s formation history and evolution.
What Is the Psyche Spacecraft, and How Does It Work?
Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida perform work on Psyche.
NASA/Isaac Watson
Measuring 10 feet by 8 feet, Psyche is a little larger than a smart car. Instead of running on traditional rocket fuel, the spacecraft will produce its own solar energy. It’s fitted with large solar panels, which make it as big as a tennis court once deployed, that will generate electricity to power the ion drive and the innovative new Hall thruster. Essentially, the electricity from the solar panels is used to convert the fuel source (xenon gas) to xenon ions that are expelled to provide thrust. (The xenon propellant also produces a cool blue glow.) Pysche will gradually build up speed using ion propulsion. The spacecraft will also swing past Mars for a gravitational push during its voyage to the asteroid.
In addition, Psyche will be equipped with an array of futuristic tech. The spacecraft will test out something called “Deep Space Optical Communication,” in which messages are encoded on photons (particles of light) instead of radio waves. It could mean transmitting far more data back to Earth in a given amount of time.
The craft will also feature a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer to identify the types of materials in Psyche; a magnetometer to measure the asteroid’s magnetic field; and a multi-spectral imager to capture high-resolution snaps of it. To top it off, Psyche will use radio waves to measure the asteroid’s gravity. This, combined with maps of the asteroid’s surface features, should give us some more intel about the asteroid’s interior structure.
How Much Will the Psyche Mission Cost?
The Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Chassis of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA says the total life-cycle mission costs for Psyche (including the rocket) are $985 million. A total of $717 million have been spent on the project as of last July. Sounds like a pittance compared to that $10,000 quadrillion.
How Long Will the Psyche Mission Take?
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Psyche will cover some 280 million miles to reach its namesake asteroid. The spacecraft is expected to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in October 2023. The craft will aim for a gravity assist from Mars in 2026 to help it along the next stage of the journey. It will then spend 21 months measuring and mapping, gradually tightening its orbit until it passes just above Psyche’s surface. If all goes to plan, Psyche will arrive at the asteroid in August 2029. NASA says the mission team continues to complete testing of the spacecraft’s flight software in preparation for the October launch date. Godspeed, Psyche.
Check out a NASA video about the Psyche mission below:
The most comprehensive plans need a sprinkle of luck, even in space.
In October 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb) watched as Chariklo, a tiny ringed asteroid, eclipsed a star. This event, called an occultation, marked a first for Webb. At the month’s end, Webb turned toward Chariklo again and notched another victory: For the first time, astronomers analyzing the telescope’s data spotted clear signs of water ice, the presence of which was only hinted at until now. These observations will guide astronomers to better understand the nature and behavior of tiny bodies in the outer reaches of our solar system.
But the two feats almost did not happen.
Related: Asteroid Chariklo Has Rings: Images of a Space Rock Oddity (Gallery)
Although it is the largest of its kind, Chariklo is still too small and too far for even the mighty Webb to photograph directly. Instead, astronomers decided to study it through occultation, which is an indirect but powerful method to study small bodies like Chariklo. But the team did not know if and when a star — without which an occultation would not occur — would fall into Webb’s field of view. This made Chariklo part of Webb’s target of opportunity (opens in new tab) program: If the asteroid happened to cross in front of a star, the program would allow astronomers to temporarily interrupt the telescope’s schedule to observe the event.
The team calculated only a 50% chance that Webb would spot a star bright enough with an interesting object like Chariklo crossing in front. After its launch in 2021, as Webb went through routine course corrections to hold it steady in its parking spot in space, the team continued predicting and revising its list of possible occultations. Late last year, astronomers ended up on the favorable side of that 50% when they discovered “by remarkable good luck” that Chariklo was on track to occult a star that also fell into Webb’s view.
“This was the first stellar occultation attempted with Webb,” the team wrote in a NASA statement (opens in new tab) published Wednesday (Jan. 25). “A lot of hard work went into identifying and refining the predictions for this unusual event.”
On Oct. 18, 2022, Chariklo and its system of two rings crossed in front of a star. Using Webb’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam), astronomers monitored the star’s brightness for an hour. Resulting data showed two dips in the star’s brightness as expected: When the asteroid’s rings first hid the star as the eclipse began, and again when the last of its rings wrapped up the occultation.
“The shadows produced by Chariklo’s rings were clearly detected,” the team wrote in the statement, “demonstrating a new way of using Webb to explore solar system objects.”
Read more: How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures
Graphic showing the dimming effects of Chariklo’s rings on a background star. (Image credit: IMAGE: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI) SCIENCE: Pablo Santos-Sanz (IAA-CSIC), Nicolás Morales (IAA-CSIC), Bruno Morgado (UFRJ, ON/MCTI, LIneA))
Objects like Chariklo are called centaurs, thanks to their hybrid nature. (Centaurs are mythological horse-human hybrids.) They look like asteroids but behave like comets — complete with visible tails. Their home, an unstable orbit between Jupiter and Neptune, hosts thousands of centaurs of varying shapes and sizes. As interesting as they are, their small size and vast distance make them difficult to study. The composition of even the biggest centaur, Chariklo — which is still tiny at just 160 miles (250 km) in diameter and distant at a whooping 2 billion miles (3.2 billion km) from us — is poorly understood. Also, past research hinted at water ice somewhere in Chariklo’s system, but had yet to conclusively detect it.
In this latest research, astronomers pointed Webb at Chariklo again. This time, they used the telescope’s Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument to measure the sunlight reflected by Chariklo and its two rings. The resulting spectrum showed three absorption bands of water ice, marking the first clear indication of crystalline ice.
The presence of crystalline ice likely indicates that Chariklo is subject to constant bombardment, according to Dean Hines, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland. “Because high-energy particles transform ice from crystalline into amorphous states, detection of crystalline ice indicates that the Chariklo system experiences continuous micro-collisions that either expose pristine material or trigger crystallization processes,” Hines said in NASA’s statement.
Read more: Centaurs Rising: NASA Eyes Missions to Weird Asteroid-Comet Hybrids
Reflectance spectrum of the double-ringed centaur 10199 Chariklo, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on Oct. 31, 2022. This spectrum shows clear evidence for crystalline water ice on Chariklo’s surface. (Image credit: IMAGE: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI) SCIENCE: Noemí Pinilla-Alonso (FSI/UCF), Ian Wong (STScI), Javier Licandro (IAC))
Astronomers have gotten one step closer to studying the Chariklo system, but there is still much that remains unknown about the centaur. The spectrum analyzed in the latest research includes information about the system as a whole, but at the moment, it is difficult to distinguish the data between Chariklo and its two rings.
For example, although astronomers spotted the first clear signs for crystalline water ice, they do not yet know for sure where in the asteroid’s system the ice is present. In the coming months, researchers hope to use Webb’s high sensitivity to dig up individual features of Chariklo and its two rings, Pablo Santos-Sanz, an astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in Spain who took part in this research, said in the statement.
“We hope [to] gain insight into why this small body even has rings at all, and perhaps detect new fainter rings,” Santos-Sanz said.
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Update for 2:45 pm ET: The Virtual Telescope Project’s webcast of asteroid 2023 BU is now scheduled for 3:15 pm. EST (2015 GMT) due to clouds.
A newly discovered asteroid will come very close to Earth this week.
Asteroid 2023 BU measures between 12 and 28 feet wide (3.8 to 8.5 meters), and was just discovered on Saturday (Jan. 21) by astronomer Gennadiy Borisov at the MARGO Observatory in Crimea. When it passes by Earth at its closest on Thursday (Jan. 26) at 4:17 p.m. EST (2117 GMT), the space rock will be within less than 3% of the average Earth-moon distance at an altitude of just 2,178 miles (3,506 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.
For comparison, most geostationary satellites orbit at an attitude of around 22,200 miles (35,800 km).
Most asteroids aren’t bright enough to be seen without a powerful telescope; luckily, you can watch asteroid 2023 BU make its close encounter with our planet thanks to the Virtual Telescope Project. Astronomer Gianluca Masi will be hosting a free livestream of the asteroid’s pass on the project’s website (opens in new tab) or YouTube channel (opens in new tab) on Thursday (Jan. 26) starting at 3:15 p.m. EST (2015 GMT) after a short delay due to clouds at the project’s Ceccano, Italy observing site.
Related: Asteroids: Fun facts and information about these space rocks
The asteroid is currently in the Ursa Major constellation. Due to its small size, asteroid 2023 BU is fairly dim at magnitude 19.15, but it might be visible through a powerful telescope operated by a seasoned skywatcher.
Luckily for those of us who aren’t veteran asteroid chasers, the Virtual Telescope Project will stream the whole thing. “Asteroid 2023 BU will have an extremely close, but safe, encounter with us, coming [within] less than 10,000 km from the Earth’s center, about 25% of the geostationary satellites’ distance,” writes Masi on the project’s website (opens in new tab).
An illustration of the orbits of asteroid 2023 BU and Earth showing the asteroid at perigee on Jan. 26. (Image credit: TheSkyLive.com)
Asteroid 2023 BU is known as an Apollo-type asteroid, which means its orbit crosses that of Earth but spends most of its time well outside the path of our planet, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (opens in new tab), which is based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. 2023 BU orbits the sun every 425 days and will not pass close to our planet again until Dec. 6, 2036.
While asteroid 2023 BU will pass extremely close to Earth, it is not categorized as potentially hazardous. That’s because its small size means it would likely break up and incinerate in Earth’s atmosphere.
Hoping to catch a glimpse of asteroid 2023 BU? Our guides on the best telescopes and best binoculars might help you get started on the path to right optics. You can also check out our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to get started.
Editor’s Note:If you manage to catch a photo of asteroid 2023 BU and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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An asteroid the size of a delivery truck will pass Earth in one of the closest such encounters ever recorded – coming within a tenth of the distance of most communication satellites’ orbit.
Nasa said the newly discovered asteroid would pass 2,200 miles (3,600km) above the southern tip of South America at 7.27pm US eastern time on Thursday (12.27am GMT on Friday).
Nasa said it would be a near miss with no chance of hitting Earth. Even if it came a lot closer, scientists said most of it would burn up in the atmosphere, with bigger pieces possibly falling as meteorites.
Nasa’s impact hazard assessment system, called Scout, quickly ruled out a strike, said its developer, Davide Farnocchia, an engineer at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
“But despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth,” Farnocchia said. “In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded.”
Discovered on Saturday, the asteroid known as 2023 BU is believed to be between 11ft (3.5m) and 28ft (8.5m) across.
It was first spotted by the same amateur astronomer in Crimea, Gennady Borisov, who discovered an interstellar comet in 2019. Within a few days, dozens of observations were made by astronomers around the world, allowing them to refine the asteroid’s path.
That path will be altered by drastically by Earth’s gravity as it passes. Instead of circling the sun every 359 days, it will move into an oval orbit lasting 425 days, according to Nasa.
An asteroid the size of a delivery truck will pass Earth in one of the closest such encounters ever recorded – coming within a tenth of the distance of most communication satellites’ orbit.
Nasa said the newly discovered asteroid would pass 2,200 miles (3,600km) above the southern tip of South America at 7.27pm US eastern time on Thursday (12.27am GMT on Friday).
Nasa said it would be a near miss with no chance of hitting Earth. Even if it came a lot closer, scientists said most of it would burn up in the atmosphere, with bigger pieces possibly falling as meteorites.
Nasa’s impact hazard assessment system, called Scout, quickly ruled out a strike, said its developer, Davide Farnocchia, an engineer at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
“But despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth,” Farnocchia said. “In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded.”
Discovered on Saturday, the asteroid known as 2023 BU is believed to be between 11ft (3.5m) and 28ft (8.5m) across.
It was first spotted by the same amateur astronomer in Crimea, Gennady Borisov, who discovered an interstellar comet in 2019. Within a few days, dozens of observations were made by astronomers around the world, allowing them to refine the asteroid’s path.
That path will be altered by drastically by Earth’s gravity as it passes. Instead of circling the sun every 359 days, it will move into an oval orbit lasting 425 days, according to Nasa.
2023 BU will pass over the southern tip of South America on January 26. Illustration: NASA/JPL-Caltech
An asteroid is on its way to Earth, but don’t worry—the end is not here. The asteroid, dubbed 2023 BU, is about the size of a box truck and is not projected to impact our planet during its flyby on Thursday. However, it will be “one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded,” according to a NASA scientist.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab said in a release on Wednesday that 2023 BU is about 11.5 to 28 feet (3.5 to 8.5 meters) wide, which is small enough to mostly burn up in our atmosphere if it were to hit us. But NASA doesn’t expect 2023 BU to slam into the planet; instead the asteroid will pass about 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) above the southern tip of South America on Thursday, January 26, at 4:32 p.m. PST. NASA was able to calculate the position and trajectory of the asteroid using Near Earth Asteroid Scout, a hazard assessment system.
“Scout quickly ruled out 2023 BU as an impactor, but despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth,” said Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who developed Scout. “In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded.”
2023 BU is passing closer to us then some of the satellites orbiting our planet, and Earth’s gravity is changing the asteroid’s path around the Sun from circular to more elongated. The asteroid was discovered by Gennadiy Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnyi, Crimea on January 21. Since then, observatories across the planet have also detected 2023 BU, leading to robust models of the asteroid’s path and potential hazard.
Astronomers’ detection of and prompt study of 2023 BU shows how robust humanity’s asteroid detection workflow is becoming. Our ability to eventually defend our planet is advancing, too, after the successful DART test mission to deflect asteroid last October.
An illustration of the Lucy spacecraft with both of its circular solar arrays fully deployed.Illustration: Southwest Research Institute
NASA is taking a break from attempts to unfurl a finicky solar array on the Lucy spacecraft, claiming that the probe is too cold and that efforts at deploying the array could be more fruitful when Lucy is closer to the Sun in December 2024.
After launching in October 2021, one of the spacecraft’s two 24-foot-wide (7-meter-wide) solar arrays, which supplies power to Lucy, failed to fully unfurl, remaining stuck in an unlatched position. While NASA has made previous attempts to fully deploy the array, the agency announced in a blog post that the Lucy team will be suspending attempts to completely unfurl the array, saying the spacecraft is too cold.
That said, NASA’s not sweating the issue, and estimated in a blog post that the array is 98% deployed and will be able to withstand the remainder of Lucy’s 12-year mission to visit Jupiter’s mysterious Trojan asteroids, which orbit both ahead and behind the gas giant.
More on this story: 7 Things to Know About NASA’s First Mission to the Jupiter Trojan Asteroids
“Ground-based testing indicated that the deployment attempts were most productive while the spacecraft was warmer, closer to the Sun,” NASA communication officer Erin Morton wrote in the post last week. “As the spacecraft is currently 123 million miles (197 million kilometers) from the Sun (1.3 times farther from the Sun than the Earth) and moving away at 20,000 mph (35,000 km/hr), the team does not expect further deployment attempts to be beneficial under present conditions.”
NASA noticed issues with the solar array shortly after the mission’s launch, and deduced that it was a loss in tension in a lanyard used to unfurl the circular array. Lucy is now hurtling away from the Sun, getting colder and colder, but will return to Earth for a gravity assist in December 2024. At this time, the Lucy team hopes that spacecraft will be warm enough to try again.
In the meantime, the team behind Lucy will be collecting data on the misbehaving solar array to see how it operates at its slightly incapacitated state as Lucy continues its mission to visit Jupiter’s Trojan asteroid clusters.
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More: NASA’s Moon-Bound Lunar Flashlight Is Experiencing Thruster Issues
An international team of scientists, including NYU Abu Dhabi researcher Nikolaos Georgakarakos and others from the U.S., Japan, and China, led by Jian Li from Nanjing University, has developed new insights that may explain the numerical asymmetry of the L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojan swarms, two clusters containing more than 10,000 asteroids that move along Jupiter’s orbital path around the sun.
For decades, scientists have known that there are significantly more asteroids in the L4 swarm than the L5 swarm, but have not fully understood the reason for this asymmetry. In the current configuration of the solar system, the two swarms show almost identical dynamical stability and survivability properties, which has led scientists to believe that the differences came about during earlier times of our solar system’s life. Determining the cause of these differences could uncover new details about the formation and evolution of the solar system.
In the paper, “Asymmetry in the number of L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojans driven by jumping Jupiter,” published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the researchers present a mechanism that can explain the observed number asymmetry.
“We propose that an outward—in terms of distance to the sun—fast migration of Jupiter can distort the configuration of the Trojan swarms, resulting in more stable orbits in the L4 swarm than in the L5 one,” said Li.
“This mechanism, which temporarily induced different evolution paths for the two asteroid groups that share the orbit of Jupiter, provides a new and natural explanation for the unbiased observation, that the L4 asteroids are about 1.6 times more than the asteroids in the L5 swarm.”
The model simulates the orbital evolution of Jupiter, caused by a planetary orbital instability in the early solar system. This led to the outward migration of Jupiter at a very high speed; a migration that the researchers hypothesize was the possible cause of the changes in the stability of the nearby asteroid swarms. Future models could expand on this work by including additional aspects of the evolution of the solar system, which could depict it with improved accuracy. This could include simulating the fast migrations of Jupiter at different speeds, and the effects of nearby planets.
“The characteristics of the current solar system hold as-yet unsolved mysteries into its formation and early evolution,” said Georgakarakos.
“The ability to successfully simulate an event from an early stage of the solar system’s development and apply those results to modern day questions can also be a key tool as astrophysicists and other researchers work to learn more about the dawn of our world.”
More information:
Jian Li et al, Asymmetry in the number of L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojans driven by jumping Jupiter, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244443
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Scientists offer a new explanation for a mystery surrounding Jupiter’s two massive asteroid swarms (2023, January 17)
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