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A Mysterious Asteroid Is Accelerating in Space, And We're Running Out of Explanations
Researchers say the asteroid’s surface stays too warm for buried ice, leaving sunlight pressure as a leading explanation for its odd motion.
- Georgia Institute of Technology researchers concluded that 1998 KY26 is likely a "dehydrated asteroid" after thermal modeling showed the 11-meter space rock is too warm to retain buried ice needed for propulsion.
- Scientists previously hypothesized KY26 was a "dark comet" because it exhibits unusual acceleration perpendicular to its orbital plane, suggesting the object vented hidden water vapor to subtly push itself off course.
- Aerospace engineers Korbin Hansen and Masatoshi Hirabayashi found even the coldest regions averaged at least 212 Kelvin across the asteroid's orbit. At these temperatures, any buried water ice would disappear in just over 2,000 years.
- If water ice were responsible for the asteroid's unusual acceleration, it would have depleted in just 62 years. The findings challenge the "dark comet" hypothesis, leaving the cause of KY26's mysterious movement unresolved.
- The Japanese space agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is traveling toward the 186 million-mile-distant object for a July 2031 rendezvous that may clarify its movement. Other theories for acceleration include solar radiation pressure.
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Asteroid KY26 Too Warm to Be a Comet, Confounds Astronomers
NEW DELHI, Nov 10: Astronomers are puzzled by asteroid KY26, which is exhibiting unexpected acceleration, raising questions about its classification. Research indicates that KY26 is too warm to retain the ice typically found in comets, according to aerospace engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The 11-meter (36-foot) asteroid rotates every 5.35 minutes and is
A mysterious asteroid headed by a Japanese spacecraft is accelerating for unknown reasons. Scientists have already rejected one of the main versions.
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Left
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Left
75% Left
L 75%
C 25%
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