Sun’s new closest neighbor discovered, and it’s not Mercury
(ORDO NEWS) — Astronomers used a sufficiently powerful telescope in Chile to record the asteroid with it. The object under study revolves around the Sun with incredible speed and is much closer to it than Mercury. It is reported by Forbes.
The asteroid was named 2021 PH27. It completely orbits the Sun in just 113 days. The object has a highly inclined elliptical orbit, which intercepts the orbits of not only Mercury, but also Venus.
The diameter of the asteroid is about one kilometer. It is located at a distance of 20 million kilometers from the Sun, and on its surface the temperature reaches 500 degrees.
At the moment, the asteroid has hidden behind the Sun and it will still be possible to notice it only in 2022. Astronomers plan to conduct additional observations of the object in order to establish its most accurate orbit, as well as finally come up with an official name.
2021 PH27, according to experts, plays a very important role, because with its help it will be possible to understand which objects are dangerous to our planet and which ones may one day crash into the Earth.
Scott S. Shepard noted that it is necessary to study asteroids of different types. You should not ignore any objects that are in the immediate vicinity of our planet.
To date, scientists cannot tell about exactly where 2021 PH27 came from, but most are inclined to believe that the object came from the main asteroid belt. Moreover, its orbit was formed under the influence of the gravity of the inner planets of the solar system.
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