CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva (Spaceengine)
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Illustration of 2021 PH27, the asteroid with the fastest period of revolution ever observed.
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Nationalgeographic.co.id—On August 13, 2021, astronomers discovered a asteroid fastest they’ve ever seen in solar system. by astronomers, asteroid it is named 2021 PH27.
This very fast period of revolution cannot be separated from its very close distance to Sun. It only takes 114 days to go around Sun.
Revolution speed 2021 PH27 breaking record previously held by two asteroids, namely 2019 LF6 and 2020 AV2. Each of these asteroids is able to circle the sun in 151 days.
The discovery also makes asteroid 2021 PH27 the second-fastest astronomical object in the solar system. Its orbital speed is only inferior to that of the planet Mercury, which can orbit the sun in 88 days.
However, unlike Mercury, which has a stable orbit, 2021 PH27 has a more elliptical orbit. This asteroid has an eccentricity of 0.7. Its closest point (perihelion) to the sun can reach 12.4 million kilometers, even closer than Mercury (29 million kilometers). However, it can bounce up to its aphelion which reaches 118 million kilometers, further than the distance of Venus from the sun.
Reporting from Phys.org, this asteroid was first observed by Scott S. Sheppard, an astronomer from the Carnegie Institute of Science. In his observations, he used the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) instrument, which was mounted on the Victor M. Blanco Telescope, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. The instrument is also used to find the largest comet in the history of astronomy.
“At its perihelion point, the surface temperature of 2021 PH27 can reach 500 degrees Celsius, a temperature hot enough to melt lead,” said Sheppard.
Also Read: New Study, Evidence of Ancient Life on Mars May Have Been Erased
CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva
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PH27 2021 elliptical orbital path (red). Its orbit intersects Mercury and Venus.
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Sheppard discovered 2021 PH27 at dusk. Reported from press release, aramaic time (twilight) such as dusk and dawn are the best times to look for asteroids in Earth’s orbit. The same is true for Mercury and Venus, the two planets closest to the center of our solar system.
This discovery was followed by observations and position calculations by David Tholen, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii. Further observations were made by Marco Micheli of the European Space Agency (ESA), who used the Magellan Telescopes and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) telescope network. From these observations, astronomers can estimate the orbital motion and various characteristics of this asteroid.
The results of further observations showed a number of interesting findings. From its absolute magnitude of 17.7, it is estimated that the asteroid’s diameter is more than 1 kilometer. As for its elliptical and unstable orbit, 2021 PH27 is expected to collide with Mercury, Venus, or the sun in the next few million years.
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CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva
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Orbit 2021 PH27, seen from Earth. The sun’s intense rays make it difficult to observe celestial objects in Earth’s orbit, so most observations of this kind are made in the time of dawn.
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Astronomers themselves are still guessing the origin of this asteroid, as adapted from Space.com. One strong hypothesis suggests that 2021 PH27 originated in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, which was stranded into a deeper orbit due to the gravity of the inner planets.
However, PH27’s 2021 orbit has a tilt of up to 32 degrees when compared to the plane of the solar system. “It could also be a former comet from outside the solar system trapped by the gravity of the inner planet,” Sheppard wrote in a press release.
To answer this hypothesis, astronomers will have to be patient for a long time. The reason is, the asteroid is currently moving behind the sun. “This asteroid will most likely return in early 2022,” Sheppard wrote.
For Sheppard and his team, next year’s observations are expected to reveal further the veil this asteroid is hiding. But with the vastness of the solar system, it is not impossible that they will find new objects in the midst of the darkness of space.
Also Read: Finding Two Organic Matter Asteroids Between Mars and Jupiter
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