Hubble Telescope discovers a new ‘3-body problem’ puzzle among Kuiper Belt asteroids (video)
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Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Joseph Olmestad
NASA’s Hubble’s Space Telescope has discovered that the asteroid regime in the distant Kuper belt may be triple, not twin as it was previously suspected.
If so, the stable trio Ice space rocks It will be just a second example of three rocks. Neptune.
The discovery can also challenge our understanding of how Kwiber belt creatures (KBOS) shape.
Clarification of Altjira 148780 from two or maybe three asteroids. Inteline: Hubble Space Telescope Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Joseph Olmestad
If it is confirmed that it is three times, the system – appointed 148780 altjira – can provide scientists an opportunity to improve their models on how three bodies are moved through space together.
This puzzle, known as the “Three Body problem”, has been a challenge since then Isaac Newton He published his work “Princeipia” in 1687.
“universe It is filled with a range of three body systems, including the closest stars to Earth, Alpha Santori Star SystemAnd we find that the Koiber belt may not be an exception, “” the leader of the team, Mia Nielsen, a graduate of physics and astronomy at the University of Brigham Young in Proveau, Utah, He said in a statement.
Related to: What is the Keper belt?
Three company in the Kwiber belt
Astronomers Dave Gate and Jin Luo have discovered the first ice body in the Keper belt, known as the name 1992 QB1In 1992. Since then, 3000 kbi has been indexed.
Astronomers estimate that several hundreds of thousands of per kilo measuring more than 10 miles (16 km) can wait in this ice cake, which starts about 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion km) of the sun.
The Koyber belt is believed to extend up to 4.6 billion miles (7.4 billion km) of the sun, which has an area of about 50 times the distance between the Earth and our star. The Altjira system is located in the middle of the Kuper belt, at an altitude of about 3.7 billion miles (6.0 billion km) of the sun, or about 40 times The distance between the earth and the sun.
A planning drawing shows the Kwiber belt and the new NASA probe journey, which visited KBO Arrokoth, also known as 2014 MU69. | Credit: NASA University Physics Laboratory/Jones Hopkins
the Hubble Space Telescope The images appear at the beginning that the Altjira system consists of two KBOS is about 4,700 miles (7600 km).
When the team made repeated notes of the unique movement in the ALTJIRA system, they found that the inner object was actually a form. This KBOS is very close to each other so that it cannot be distinguished individually from this great distance.
“With these small and far things, the separation of the internal organs in the system is a small part of pixel Hubble cameraSo you have to use methods other than photographing to discover that they are triple. “
It took 17 years of Hubble data Cake Observatory In Hawaii to monitor tropical changes in the Altjira system and make this decision. Data has been added to different modeling scenarios, with an explanation most likely to be a three -body system.
Nielsen added: “The other possibilities are that the inner object is a duo of contact, as two separate bodies become very close, or something else in fact strangely flat, like a pie.”
Among 40 multi -body systems identified in the Kuper belt, this is only the second that was identified from more than two being. The researchers believe that these are not extremist values and there are more multi -storm systems in the external tributaries of the solar system, pending their discovery,
Arrokoth, the so -called “satellite snowman”, another kbo. | Credit: NASA/Jones Hopkins Applied Physics Laborat
Hubble’s notes support the Altjira system, which indicates that it has a third operator, a theory of the creation of KBO, which involves the direct collapse of the material in the material surrounding the baby’s sun for about 4.5 billion years.
The direct collapse path is similar to the process of forming stars, albeit largely smaller. Forming stars From dense stains of gas and dust can also lead to two body systems and three body.
The alternative KBO creation theory, which sees these ice satellite rocks created from the collision between large bodies, will not create a three -body arrangement as it appears to be the altjira system.
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The altjira system joins the dwarf planet Pluto And “satellite snowman” ArrokothA bilateral contact consisting of delicious space rocks, such as a more severe lesson in the Quiber belt.
Nassa New horizons Probe flew by Pluto in 2015 and Arrokoth in 2019. There is no visit to Altjira in business, but researchers behind the new study hope that the detailed remote notes of the system will be possible in the future.
Especially exciting will be the upcoming notes from Altjira James Web telescope for space During its third year of its operations.
“I entered altjira in the eclipse season, as the outer body passes in front of the central body,” Nielsen said. “This will continue over the next ten years, giving scientists a great opportunity to learn more about it.” \
The new study was published on Tuesday (4 March) in Planetary Science Magazine.
