Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

The Fine print: The following are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

Journal by takyon

I saw Polymele in the latest list of JWST targets. I checked that, found it was the target of a Lucy spacecraft flyby on September 15, 2027, and also found that a new asteroid has been added early in Lucy's itinerary, 152830 Dinkinesh.

https://www.tablesgenerator.com/text_tables

╔═══════════════════╦═════════════════════════╦═════════════════════════╦══════════╗
║   Encounter date  ║          Target         ║         Diameter        ║ Altitude ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 16 October 2022   ║ Earth (gravity assist)  ║ 12742 km                ║ 300 km   ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 1 November 2023   ║ 152830 Dinkinesh        ║ 0.7 km                  ║ 450 km   ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 13 December 2024  ║ Earth (gravity assist)  ║ 12742 km                ║ 350 km   ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 20 April 2025     ║ 52246 Donaldjohanson    ║ 4 km                    ║ 922 km   ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 12 August 2027    ║ 3548 Eurybates          ║ Eurybates: 64 km        ║ 1000 km  ║
║                   ║                         ║ (Queta satellite: 1 km) ║          ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 15 September 2027 ║ 15094 Polymele          ║ Polymele: 21 km         ║ 415 km   ║
║                   ║                         ║ (Satellite: 5 km)       ║          ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 18 April 2028     ║ 11351 Leucus            ║ 34 km                   ║ 1000 km  ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 11 November 2028  ║ 21900 Orus              ║ 51 km                   ║ 1000 km  ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 26 December 2030  ║ Earth (gravity assist)  ║ 12742 km                ║ 660 km   ║
╠═══════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬══════════╣
║ 2 March 2033      ║ 617 Patroclus–Menoetius ║ Patroclus: 113 km       ║ 1000 km  ║
║                   ║                         ║ Menoetius: 104 km       ║          ║
╚═══════════════════╩═════════════════════════╩═════════════════════════╩══════════╝

Also, Polymele's satellite was discovered only after the Lucy spacecraft launched. That situation has already happened before with New Horizons and Pluto; Kerberos and Styx were discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope after New Horizons launched. Saturn's moons Helene, Calypso, and Telesto were discovered by ground-based observatories just months before the Voyager 1 flyby in 1980.

Following observations of an occultation on 26 March 2022, the Lucy mission team reported the discovery of a satellite around Polymele. The satellite is a smaller asteroid about 5–6 kilometers (3.1–3.7 miles) in diameter, orbiting nearly in the equatorial plane of Polymele at a distance of 204 km (127 mi). It will not be assigned a formal name until further observations determine its orbit. The Lucy team refers to the companion by the temporary informal name "Shaun," after Aardman Animations' animated sheep.

Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Reply to Article Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.