Asteroid 1998 KY26 Shows Unexplained Acceleration Despite 62-Year Ice Limit
Updated
Updated · Букви · Nov 9
Asteroid 1998 KY26 Shows Unexplained Acceleration Despite 62-Year Ice Limit
3 articles · Updated · Букви · Nov 9
Summary
Astronomers found an unusual, non-gravitational acceleration in asteroid 1998 KY26’s motion in 2023, but have not identified the force driving the shift.
The 11-meter Apollo-class asteroid briefly fit a “dark comet” explanation, where hidden ice sublimation alters an object’s path without producing a visible tail.
Temperature modeling undercuts that theory: even KY26’s coldest regions average about -78°F (-61°C), far warmer than the roughly -198°F (-128°C) needed for water ice to persist.
Any ice capable of causing the acceleration would be depleted in about 62 years, conflicting with an object believed to be several billion years old.
Hayabusa2 is due to reach 1998 KY26 in July 2031, when onboard cameras and a lidar altimeter could help explain the anomaly.