4337 Arecibo in the context of Double asteroid


4337 Arecibo in the context of Double asteroid

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⭐ Core Definition: 4337 Arecibo

4337 Arecibo (prov. designation: 1985 GB) is a binary asteroid in the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 April 1985, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. It was named after the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. It has a relatively large minor-planet moon that was discovered in stellar occultation observations by David Gault and Peter Nosworthy in May 2021, distinguishing it as the first asteroid moon discovered and confirmed solely using the occultation method.

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4337 Arecibo in the context of Binary asteroid

A binary asteroid is a system of two asteroids orbiting their common barycenter. The binary nature of 243 Ida was discovered when the Galileo spacecraft flew by the asteroid in 1993. Since then numerous binary asteroids and several triple asteroids have been detected.

The mass ratio of the two components – called the "primary" and "secondary" of a binary system – is an important characteristic. Most binary asteroids have a large mass ratio, i.e. a relatively small satellite in orbit around the main component. Systems with one or more small moons – also called "companions" or simply "satellites" – include 87 Sylvia, 107 Camilla and 45 Eugenia (all triples), 121 Hermione, 130 Elektra (a quadruple), 22 Kalliope, 283 Emma, 379 Huenna, 243 Ida and 4337 Arecibo (in order of decreasing primary size). Some binary systems have a mass ratio near unity, i.e., two components of similar mass. They include 90 Antiope, 2006 VW139, 2017 YE5 and 69230 Hermes, with average component diameters of 86, 1.8, 0.9 and 0.8 km, respectively.

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