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Brand-new mini 'moon' found lurking in the outer solar system
livescience.com ^ | Harry Baker

Posted on 08/25/2022 10:31:11 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Astronomers may have detected a previously undiscovered "mini-moon" in the solar system: a rocky object orbiting a small asteroid near Jupiter. If the rocky satellite, which is just a little wider than the width of Manhattan, is confirmed to be a proper moon, it would be one of the smallest moons ever spotted.

The tiny satellite was discovered by scientists working on NASA's Lucy mission, which is sending a space probe to study some of the Trojan asteroids, two massive groups of space rocks that are located on each side of Jupiter on its orbit around the sun.

The Lucy probe was launched on Oct. 16, 2021, and will arrive at the Trojan asteroids in late 2027, after making a quick stop in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Until then, Lucy mission scientists are trying to learn more about some of these mysterious rocks to help identify where the probe can be most useful.

On March 27, the smallest of Lucy's Trojan targets, known as Polymele, passed in front of a distant star, allowing mission scientists to accurately measure the space rock's size by observing how much of the star's light the asteroid blocked out as it whizzed past. However, the team also observed an unexpected subsequent, smaller blip as a second asteroid followed in Polymele's wake.

After reviewing the data, the team concluded that the second blip "had to be a satellite," lead researcher Marc Buie, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said in a NASA statement.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: asteroid; asteroids; astronomy; catastrophism; doublet; polymele; science

1 posted on 08/25/2022 10:31:11 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

2 posted on 08/25/2022 10:37:56 AM PDT by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: HombreSecreto

Thats ok, the crew is focused on diversity and transgender training, so its no threat to us.


3 posted on 08/25/2022 10:39:18 AM PDT by suasponte137
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To: BenLurkin

Jupiter is hogging all the moons. How many do we have? Like, one?


4 posted on 08/25/2022 10:40:20 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: HombreSecreto

5 posted on 08/25/2022 10:40:24 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: rightwingcrazy

Even Mars has two!


6 posted on 08/25/2022 10:44:42 AM PDT by z3n (Kakistocracy)
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To: BenLurkin
Good, a mini-moon for my mini-me...


7 posted on 08/25/2022 10:45:13 AM PDT by Magnum44 (...against all enemies, foreign and domestic... )
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To: BenLurkin
If the rocky satellite, which is just a little wider than the width of Manhattan [...]

But is it also longer than the length of Manhattan?

Regards,

8 posted on 08/25/2022 10:49:05 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: HombreSecreto

Iapatus, moon of Saturn, retrograde orbit, furthest from Saturn. 12 mile high ridge around the exact equator.
9 posted on 08/25/2022 10:50:37 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: HombreSecreto

You beat me to it. “That’s no moon”.


10 posted on 08/25/2022 11:00:26 AM PDT by philippa
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To: BenLurkin

Never mind. It was an image of bobby reich.


11 posted on 08/25/2022 11:04:29 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: BenLurkin; 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AnalogReigns; AndrewC; ...
And btw, these Trojan asteroids are only 99% effective. Thanks BenLurkin.



12 posted on 08/25/2022 11:06:47 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: suasponte137

Does this mean Vader and the Troopers will be ‘frolicking’?


13 posted on 08/25/2022 1:19:00 PM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: BenLurkin; SunkenCiv

What do they mean, “making a quick stop in the Asteroid Belt?” These kind of spacecraft have to keep moving to reach their destination. To investigate anything on the way, it will have to be a fly-by approach.


14 posted on 08/25/2022 1:58:47 PM PDT by Berosus (I wish I had as much faith in God as liberals have in government.)
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To: Berosus
Yeah, probably more like a quick loop through a few big 'uns, then off again. :^)

15 posted on 08/25/2022 11:05:49 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Carthego delenda est
from Imgflip Meme Generator
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16 posted on 09/13/2022 7:38:06 AM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: Carthego delenda est

17 posted on 09/15/2022 5:51:54 AM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: Carthego delenda est

18 posted on 09/15/2022 5:55:10 AM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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