The European Southern Observatory returns appealing views of enigmatic asteroid 216 Kleopatra.
Its not every day we get a makeover at a remote world, not to mention an odd misshapen asteroid. That just what occurred last week, when the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope in Chile launched brand-new images of asteroid 216 Kleopatra.
” Kleopatra is genuinely an unique body in our Solar System,” says astronomer Frank Marchis (SETI-Institute) in a recent press release. I believe Kleopatra is one of those and comprehending this complex, numerous asteroid system can help us learn more about our solar system.”.
The unusual world of 216 Kleopatra is 276 kilometers along its longest axis. A size comparison of asteroid Kleopatra with northern Italy. Observations from Keck Observatory in 2008 also revealed the existence of two tiny (7-9 kilometer-sized) moonlets in orbit around 216 Kleopatra: Alexhelios and Cleoselene, named after the kids of Cleopatra.
The four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope, along with the four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes and the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). Credit: ESO/G. Hüdepohl.
The images were gotten courtesy of SPHERE, the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument, attached to the 8.2 metre VLT Unit Telescope 3. SPHERE is created for direct visual observations of worlds around other stars, it does a pretty solid job at resolving things in our own solar system, including asteroids.
Comprehensive view of the SPHERE optical bench. Credit: ESO..
What youre seeing in the image sequence is twin-lobed, dog-boned shaped asteroid 216 Kleoptra. Discovered on the night of April 10th, 1880 by astronomer Johann Polisa from the Austrian Naval Pola Observatory, the asteroid ranges on a 4.7 year orbit, from a perihelion 2.1 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun, to a far-off aphelion of 3.5 AU. SPHERE uses an adaptive optics system which cancels out climatic distortions to capture fine detail.
The orbit of 216 Kleopatra. Credit: NASA/JPL.
” Kleopatra is really an unique body in our Solar System,” states astronomer Frank Marchis (SETI-Institute) in a current press release. “Science makes a lot of development thanks to the study of weird outliers. I believe Kleopatra is one of those and understanding this complex, numerous asteroid system can assist us discover more about our solar system.”.
The weird world of 216 Kleopatra is 276 kilometers along its longest axis. The asteroid is called after the well-known 1st century BC queen of Egypt. To comprehend what an incredible feat it is to resolve information on such a tiny far-off things even in our own solar system with SPHERE, consider the seeing geometry: at 449 million kilometers (279 million miles) away, an item 276 kilometers throughout appears simply over 0.1″ (a tenth of an arcsecond) in apparent size … thats around 250 times smaller than Mars at its extremely closest to Earth.
A size contrast of asteroid Kleopatra with northern Italy. Observations from Keck Observatory in 2008 also exposed the existence of 2 small (7-9 kilometer-sized) moonlets in orbit around 216 Kleopatra: Alexhelios and Cleoselene, called after the kids of Cleopatra.
Processed SPHERE image revealing the moons of Kleopatra. Credit: ESO/Vernazza/Marchis et al/MISTRAL/ONERA/ CNRS.
Discovery of the moons is a lucky break for astronomers, as it allows them to peg the total density and mass of 216 Kleopatra. It likewise provided a secret, as positions kept in mind in the current SPHERE observations of the moonlets did not match up with estimates from early observations.
” This had actually to be solved,” states Miroslav Brož (Charles University, Prague) in a current press release. “Because if the moons orbits were incorrect, everything was incorrect, consisting of the mass of Kleopatra.”.
SPHERE VLT observations of the sizes and shape of 216 Kleopatra along with the orbits of the 2 moons permitted astronomers to further characterize the main asteroid as a loose rubble pile about half the density of iron, 35% lower than previously believed.
Astronomers also recognized the fast rotational duration of 216 Kleopatra could well discuss the existence of the two moons, as product from effects was flung off from the asteroids surface area. Both moonlets orbit the asteroid when every 1.2 and 2.3 days respectively, and would have an odd sky, controlled by the dumbbell-shaped main.
Observing 216 Kleopatra.
If you have a big telescope, you can identify 216 Kleoptra: Generally, its at +12 th magnitude, but it can reach +9 th magnitude on a favorable opposition near perihelion. This occurs next in 2027. Currently, the asteroid is located in the constellation of Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.
The course of asteroid 216 Kleopatra through September and October 2021.
Seeing 216 Kleoptra up close is a tour de force for the power of ground-based adaptive optics. The VLT-SPHERE configuration has actually likewise taken pictures of 4 Vesta that measured up to those taken by NASAs Dawn spacecraft when it went to the dwarf planet in 2011-2012.
Far from being boring area rocks recent observations of NEO asteroids have exposed that 15% are binary or contact binaries, and worlds like 216 Kleopatra may hold hints to early planetary system history and planetary formation.
Are all asteroids this weird?
Read the initial papers, Kleopatra, a Low-Density, Critically Rotating M-type Asteroid and An Advanced Multi-Pole Model for the Kleopatra Triple System.
Lead image: Asteroid Kleopatra from different angles. Credit: ESO/Vernazza, Marchis et al./ MISTRAL/ONERA/CNRS.
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