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The researchers discovered an asteroid close to the Earth in December 2017, which should soon make its closest approach to Earth for the next 170 years. Observations during its overflight revealed that it was something more extraordinary than expected – a binary mass equal to the Earth. Credit: Arecibo / GBO / NSF / NASA / JPL-Caltech
More than 18,000 asteroids close to Earth have been identified, and all are considered remnants of the formation of our solar system. They each have their own structure and properties. But despite their distinct variations, we still encounter a weird ball from time to time. On June 26, two separate teams of scientists confirmed the presence of an exceptional "equal mass" binary asteroid passing through the Earth – one of only four ever discovered
Asteroid 2017 YE5 consists of two objects of equal size, meters) in diameter, orbit once every 20 to 24 hours. It is quite common for large asteroids to connect to smaller asteroids, with about 15% of asteroids close to Earth at more than 200 meters (200 meters) of binary pairs. But meeting a binary consisting of two objects of similar size is much rarer.
The unusual nature of the asteroid has been hidden from researchers until very recently, however. It was discovered in December 2017 by Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey and, at the time, it was thought that it was a single object close to the Earth. To investigate, the researchers planned follow-up studies for June 21 when the asteroid was only 6 million kilometers from Earth, which would be the closest for the next 170 years.
During its overflight, NASA's Goldstone Solar System (GSSR) radar in California detected something unexpected – two distinct mounds protruding out of its body. Due to its orientation in the sky, however, it was not clear whether the asteroid was an abnormal form mass or two distinct entities. But with a while, researchers were able to observe an orbital rotation that revealed a gap between objects.
They shared their discovery with colleagues from the Arecibo Observatory of Puerto Rico, who were already considering observing the asteroid. To have a more complete vision of the potential duo, the Arecibo team collaborated with scientists from the West Virginia Green Bank Observatory (GBO). Together, they would study the asteroid using a bi-static radar configuration, in which radar signals are bounced off the asteroid by Arecibo and received by GBO. This technique allowed the observatories to simultaneously visualize different areas of the asteroid, causing each team to confirm that 2017 YE5 is, in fact, a binary asteroid of equal mass.
His dual nature was also not the only strange attribute to discover. During optical observations, the researchers were able to estimate the size of the asteroid according to the amount of visible light that it emitted. However, radar imaging has shown that the duo is darker in color and reflects less sunlight than typical asteroids, making it larger than its optical brightness allows. The research also revealed distinct differences in the radar reflectivity of objects, which was not observed in the binary asteroids previously studied. These variations suggest that the masses probably have different surface compositions, textures or densities.
We will not be able to observe 2017 YE5 at such a distance for more than a century, but we will not sit idly, waiting for its arrival. The researchers plan to dig into the radar and optical data of the asteroid to predict the densities of each component, which could provide insights into their formations, structures, and compositions. And who knows. With the rapid expansion of space technology lately, we might be able to dissect its particular features remotely, rather than waiting 170 years.
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