November 14, 2024

Decoding the Secrets of Mars’ New “Trojan” Asteroid 2023FW14

Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz (SMM, IAC) Using observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) a study led from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) has actually verified that the asteroid 2023 FW14, found last year, is accompanying the red world in its journey around the Sun, ahead of Mars and in the very same orbit. The results are released in the prominent journal Astronomy & & Astrophysics.A team from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) has observed and described for the very first time the things 2023FW14, a Trojan asteroid that shares its orbit with Mars.” There are two possibilities for its origin: it could be a fragment of the Trojan 1999 UJ7, or it may have been recorded from the population of asteroids close to the Earth that cross the orbit of Mars” he adds.The spectrum obtained with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTCI) at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Island of La Palma has allowed the researchers to discover the chemical composition of 2023 FW14, revealing brand-new distinctions compared to the rest of the Martian Trojans.