Space

Astronomers spot exiled asteroid in outer reaches of solar system

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EarthSky Voices
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May 21, 2018

An international team of astronomers has used ESO telescopes to investigate a relic of the primordial solar system. The team found that the unusual Kuiper Belt Object 2004 EW95 is a carbon-rich asteroid, which likely formed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and has been flung billions of kilometers from its origin to its current home in the Kuiper Belt. This object is the first of its kind to be confirmed in the cold outer reaches of the solar system.

Read more about 2004 EW95 from the European Southern Observatory

The red line in this image shows the orbit of 2004 EW95, with the orbits of other solar system bodies shown in green for comparison. Image via ESO/L. Calcada.
Posted 
May 21, 2018
 in 
Space

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