Scientists have discovered that the closest neighbor to the Sun is not Mercury, but this asteroid

Published:

24 ago 2021 04:53 GMT

The origin of 2021 PH27 has not yet been determined.

With the help of the new telescope of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (Chile), astronomers from Brown University (USA) and the Carnegie Institution were able to find an asteroid approaching the Sun shorter than Mercury. It was revealed This Monday Forbes.

Asteroid 2021 PH27 completes its revolution around the Sun in 113 days, although it is longer than Mercury’s 88 days, it has an elliptical and highly inclined orbit, indicating the orbit of any star body close to our star. It is approximate One kilometer in diameter And closer 20 million kilometers from the sun, It almost reaches a temperature 500 degrees Celsius. It is hot enough to melt more than lead.

According to Carnegie’s Scott Shepherd, the discovery could help complete the survey of asteroids that could eventually hit Earth. However, so far the appearance of that celestial body has not been verified. “Most likely, 2021 PH27 Separate from the main asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, And the gravitational pull of the inner planets shaped their current orbits, “the scientist believes. Came from the outer solar system […] And the path of his journey will bring him closer to the interior of the solar system. “

2021 PH27 has moved behind the sun and will not be seen again until the beginning of 2022. Further observations are planned to determine its precise orbit, which will allow it to be officially named.