Didymos: Difference between revisions
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==Properties== | ==Properties== | ||
Didymos is | Didymos has a mass of 500 to 600 billion kilograms. It is roughly spherical in shape, with an approximate diameter of 780 meters (slightly less than half a mile), and rotates once about its axis about every 2.3 hours. | ||
Didymos orbits the [[Sun]] in an elliptical orbit, with a nearest and farthest distance from the sun of about 1 AU and about 2.3 AU, respectively. It orbits the Sun every 2.1 years. | Didymos orbits the [[Sun]] in an elliptical orbit, with a nearest and farthest distance from the sun of about 1 AU and about 2.3 AU, respectively. It orbits the Sun every 2.1 years. | ||
Revision as of 09:31, 27 May 2022
The asteroid Didymos and its smaller, satellite asteroid Dimorphos comprise a binary asteroid system within the solar system. Didymos was discovered in 1996, and is estimated to contain roughly 99% of the mass of the Didymos-Dimorphos system.
Properties
Didymos has a mass of 500 to 600 billion kilograms. It is roughly spherical in shape, with an approximate diameter of 780 meters (slightly less than half a mile), and rotates once about its axis about every 2.3 hours.
Didymos orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit, with a nearest and farthest distance from the sun of about 1 AU and about 2.3 AU, respectively. It orbits the Sun every 2.1 years.
References
Info from NASA: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/didymos/in-depth/