Asteroid News in 2016 for '324P/La Sagra' - Hubble Takes a Look at Active Icy Rock
Hubble Telescope Reveals Activities of Active Asteroid 324P/La Sagra
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observed the rare events of the active asteroid 324P/La Sagra.
Astronomers recently took the Hubble to observe active asteroids like 324P/La Sagra. They observed that the asteroid is in active state but small and when it continues in its state it could possibly not be observed for very long because of its decreased lifetime.
324P/La Sagra Findings
According to the observations made using the HST, the 324P/La Sagra active asteroid has a semimajor axis of 3.1 AU and a 0.154 eccentricity. The asteroid is considered to be small in size and may not be active for more than 100,000 years. Asteroids like 324P/La Sagra are normally just icy space rocks but its active state enabled the astronomers to observe it through Hubble.
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The group of astronomers including Harold Weaver, Jessica Agarwal, Stephen Larson, Jing Li and Max Mutcher, led by David Jewitt published their findings on the Cornell University Library.
324P/La Sagra Discoveries
According to Jewitt, their use of the Hubble telescope allowed them to keenly observe the 324P/La Sagra asteroid. The HST produces high-resolution images that depict the characteristics of the asteroid that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Additionally, the 324P/La Sagra's active state is hard to come by as asteroids normally don't have any sort of activities beyond "activating" if hit by another asteroid.
"For example, it might be 'on' for ten orbits, then 'off' for 10,000 orbits. If so, we have to conclude that 324P/La Sagra is the tip of the iceberg, and that many other icy asteroids exist but lurk in an inactive state," Jewitt said as noted by Phys.org.
324P/La Sagra Conclusions
Acording to the scientists, the asteroid 324P/La Sagra is losing mass or near-surface ice due to its active state. In one orbit, it is estimated to lose around 40,000 metric tons of dust particles and at this rate, there will only be 16,000 orbits left for the asteroid or 100,000 years. However, they think that once the ice has dried up, the dust particle loss will slow down.
As to where the ice comes from, astronomers are saying that it could be from the time when the asteroid was formed. The water could come from the Earth's ocean which had originated from the asteroid belt from which the 324P/La Sagra comes from.
What do you think of the Hubble Space Telescope observation made by the astronomers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
