A potentially hazardous asteroid has been studied in the lead-up to the DESTINY+ mission, which aims to fly by it in 2028.
Researchers recently discovered that Phaethon's spin is getting faster. The asteroid's rotation period is going down. Changes like this could affect the observations. Knowing the exact spin rate allows the team to more accurately predict the asteroid's orientation during the flyby.
It's rare for an asteroid's spin to change, and the largest of those space rocks, with an average diameter of 3.4 miles, shows a change in its rotation.
There are the greatest asteroid missions of all time.
Sean Marshall, a planetary scientist at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, used data and observations from 1989 to 2021.
Marshall stated that the predictions from the shape model did not match the data. The times when the model was not as bright as it should have been were out of sync with the times when the model was brighter. I thought it could be explained by the comet activity when it was near perihelion in December 2020.
Marshall found that the model that best fit the data included a constant decrease in the rotation period.
It's good news for the DESTINY+ team since a steady change means that they can predict which regions will be illuminated by the sun.
The DESTINY+ mission will reveal more about the topic of Phaethon. Despite being large enough to be labeled a potentially hazardous asteroid, scientists have determined that there is no immediate threat to our planet.
The findings were presented at the 54th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences.
You can follow Stefanie Waldek on social networking sites. We encourage you to follow us on social networking sites.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
