Science-advisor
REGISTER info/FAQ
Login
username
password
     
forgot password?
register here
 
Research articles
  search articles
  reviews guidelines
  reviews
  articles index
My Pages
my alerts
  my messages
  my reviews
  my favorites
 
 
Stat
Members: 3643
Articles: 2'488'730
Articles rated: 2609

29 March 2024
 
  » arxiv » astro-ph/0602033

 Article overview


A low density of 0.8 g/cc for the Trojan binary asteroid 617 Patroclus
Franck Marchis ; Daniel Hestroffer ; Pascal Descamps ; Jerome Berthier ; Antonin H. Bouchez ; Randall D. Campbell ; Jason C. Y. Chin ; Marcos A. van Dam ; Scott K. Hartman ; Erik M. Johansson ; Robert E. Lafon ; David Le Mignant ; Imke de Pater ; Paul J. Stomski ; Doug M. Summers ; Frederic Vachier ; Peter L. Wizinovich ; Michael H. Wong ;
Date 2 Feb 2006
Journal Nature 439 (2006) 565-567
AbstractThe Trojan population consists of two swarms of asteroids following the same orbit as Jupiter and located at the L4 and L5 Lagrange points of the Jupiter-Sun system (leading and following Jupiter by 60 degrees). The asteroid 617 Patroclus is the only known binary Trojan (Merline et al. 2001). The orbit of this double system was hitherto unknown. Here we report that the components, separated by 680 km, move around the system centre of mass, describing roughly a circular orbit. Using the orbital parameters, combined with thermal measurements to estimate the size of the components, we derive a very low density of 0.8 g/cc. The components of Patroclus are therefore very porous or composed mostly of water ice, suggesting that they could have been formed in the outer part of the solar system.
Source arXiv, astro-ph/0602033
Services Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites   
 
Visitor rating: did you like this article? no 1   2   3   4   5   yes

No review found.
 Did you like this article?

This article or document is ...
important:
of broad interest:
readable:
new:
correct:
Global appreciation:

  Note: answers to reviews or questions about the article must be posted in the forum section.
Authors are not allowed to review their own article. They can use the forum section.

browser claudebot






ScienXe.org
» my Online CV
» Free


News, job offers and information for researchers and scientists:
home  |  contact  |  terms of use  |  sitemap
Copyright © 2005-2024 - Scimetrica