The fastest asteroid revealed in the solar system
Astronomers have discovered an asteroid with the shortest orbit in the solar system. It makes a full circle around the star in 113 days, according to The Daily Mail.
The asteroid was named 2021 PH27. Its width is almost a thousand meters. The facility was discovered on August 13 by Carnegie Institute of Science researcher Scott Sheppard using data from the Dark Energy Chamber (DECam) in Chile.
The asteroid has a very elongated orbit. Periodically, it approaches the Sun at a distance of 20 million km – closer than Mercury. At the same time, the temperature on its surface reaches almost 500 degrees Celsius – this is enough to melt lead.
In fact, this asteroid is so close to the Sun that it “experiences the largest general relativistic effects of all known objects in the solar system,” explained the NSF National Research Laboratory for Optical Infrared Astronomy (NOIRLab). It is also recognized as the fastest of all known – in 113 days, it manages to cross the orbits of both Mercury and Venus.
At the moment, researchers are unclear where the 2021 PH27 came from. According to one version, it originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was subsequently driven out of there by the gravity of the inner planets. According to the other, it is an extinct comet – this is indicated, in particular, by the high angle of inclination of the orbit (32 degrees).
Scientists also noted that the asteroid's orbit is unstable. In the future, it can either collide with Mercury or Venus, or fly out of the inner solar system.
Asteroids orbiting close to the Sun are difficult to see as they are dwarfed by the star's light. But it is necessary to monitor them, since they can pose a danger to our planet. Asteroid 2021 PH27 has currently disappeared from view, as it is behind the Sun, but at the beginning of next year, scientists will be able to observe it again.
Previously, scientists have modeled the consequences of the fall of an asteroid on Mars. In their opinion, after this, the Red Planet can turn into a second Earth.
