They have planets, the earth has one and even smaller celestial bodies captivate them: we are talking about moons. However, smaller chunks rarely move around asteroids. Astronomers have now observed this case on a Trojan, an asteroid that moves Jupiter on the orbit of the planet. As stated in a press release from NASA, the Trojan polymele is circled by a natural satellite. This was the result of the evaluation of a star cover campaign that the Lucy mission team organized NASA.
Polymele measures about 27 kilometers in diameter. Their newly discovered moon is about five kilometers in size and orbits the Trojan at a distance of about 200 kilometers. The asteroid is trotting around the Sun with Jupiter far away from Earth - the average distance to us is about 770 million kilometers.
In order to grasp polymele more precisely, research teams and hobby astronomers have observed the Trojan during a special moment: he passed in front of a star. The star passage then noticed that polymele was not on the road alone, but was accompanied by a satellite. According to NASA, no name is yet given for the moon. To do this, astronomers first have to determine the exact orbit of the Trojan satellite, which is expected to be possible in 2027 if the Lucy Polymele spacecraft close.
Lucy launched into space on October 16, 2021. The goal of the NASA mission is to explore some Trojans of the planet Jupiter. At the moment, more than 10 500 Trojans are known, which are ahead of Jupiter in its orbit or dragging along behind the planet. The asteroids represent remnants from the early days of the solar system. It is hoped that they will provide clues to the formation of our planetary system. The Lucy mission is expected to last at least twelve years. It is planned that the spacecraft will visit six Jupiter Trojans and one asteroid of the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.
