Contact binary asteroids are common in our solar system, but scientists have never seen one orbiting another asteroid. Estimates suggest that contact binaries make up 30% of all small solar system bodies. This includes well-known asteroids like 67P/Churyumov-Gersasimenko and Arrokoth
Some contact binary asteroids that have been identified include:
- 617 Patroclus: A wide binary discovered in 2001
- 624 Hektor: Has a distinctive light curve that indicates it is a contact binary
- Dinkinesh: The first contact binary to orbit another asteroid
Recent estimates put the total number of contact binaries as high as 30% of all small solar system bodies, including famous ones like Arrokoth and 67P/Churyumov-Gersasimenko. That means if there are any potentially hazardous asteroids we aren’t yet aware of, there’s a fair chance it’s actually a contact binary
Binary asteroids may form in a few ways:
- Collisions Larger main-belt asteroids may form binaries after a catastrophic collision, where fragments are captured. They may also form after a sub-catastrophic collision, where ejecta reaccumulates around a large remnant.
- Mutual capture Trans-Neptunian binaries may have formed during the formation of the solar system.
- Spin-up and mass shedding Near-Earth asteroids may form due to the YORP effect.
- Sub-catastrophic collisions Contact binary asteroids like Itokawa may form after sub-catastrophic collisions.
Binary asteroids are likely formed from aggregate objects, such as rubble piles.
An asteroid pair is two asteroids that had very small relative velocities in the past. They can be formed by:
- A parent body breaking up in a collision
- Binary asteroids becoming gravitationally unbound
- A parent asteroid rotationally fissing into a proto-binary system
Asteroid pairs can also be called asteroid clusters if there are more than two bodies.
Yes, asteroids can orbit each other. Binary asteroids are two asteroids that orbit a common barycenter. Some asteroids also have other asteroids orbiting them as satellites.
Astronomers have observed two asteroids orbiting each other in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroids had features similar to comets, including a long tail and a bright coma.
Asteroids can also collide with each other. The surface of Ceres and other large asteroids show evidence of past collisions
Yes, asteroids can have moons, also known as satellites. As of October 2021, 85 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) were known to have at least one moon. In total, more than 400 asteroids have moons, including trans-Neptunian objects.
Some asteroids have other asteroids as their own satellites. This has been helpful in measuring asteroid properties. For example, by measuring the satellite’s orbital period and distance, scientists can calculate the asteroid’s mass.
Some asteroids have become the moons of planets.
Yes, each asteroid has its own orbit. Asteroids orbit the Sun in elliptical paths and move in the same direction as the planets. They orbit fast enough that their orbits don’t degrade
Most asteroids are located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This belt is about 19,400,000 miles wide and contains between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids larger than 1 km in diameter. The gravitational effects of Jupiter and Mars corral the asteroids into the belt.
Asteroids take between three and six Earth years to complete one revolution around the Sun. They also rotate, sometimes erratically, as they orbit
Most small asteroids have stable orbits. They don’t get close to any planets and their orbits are stable for longer than the age of the solar system.
Most main belt asteroids have slightly elliptical, stable orbits. They orbit in the same direction as Earth and take 3–6 years to complete a full circuit of the Sun. The density of asteroids in the belt is very low, so they rarely interact with each other.
However, the orbits of Earth-approaching asteroids are unstable over long time spans. This is because they are pulled by the gravitational attractions of the planets.
The orbits of many small members of the solar system are chaotic and unstable on million-year time scales. This is because they are subjected to the combined gravitational perturbations of the major planets.
The gravitational force between the Sun and asteroids keeps them in orbit. The Sun’s gravity also prevents asteroids from flying off in all directions
Asteroids move in elliptical orbits, often tumbling and falling through space. Their speed and the shape of their orbits keep them in the asteroid belt. Asteroids move faster the closer they are to the Sun.
Jupiter’s gravity can also affect asteroids. Jupiter’s gravity can pull asteroids and comets in, protecting Earth from them. However, Jupiter’s gravity can also put an object on a collision course with Earth. (Full article source google)
https://a7fe9gps22vsb-mjp5r-yntpig.hop.clickbank.net
Universe discoveries 