A tiny asteroid has been discovered orbiting our Sun at a breakneck pace that requires relativistic orbital calculations. 

Designated 2021PH27, this kilometer-across asteroid dives within 20 million kilometers of the Sun every 113 days, before zipping back out beyond the orbit of Venus. This new object was discovered by Scott Sheppard using survey data from a survey of local galaxies, showing once again that one person’s interrupting asteroid is another person’s super cool data. 

Sheppard is a frequent discoverer of moons, comets, and other small objects throughout the solar system and has built a career on looking for moving objects in data often taken for other purposes. Telescope time is expensive, and it’s awesome to see results from folks like Sheppard who repurpose and recycle data for additional science. This is your friendly reminder that astronomers will stretch their research dollars farther than anyone ever imagined.

More Information

NOIRLab press release

Minor Planet Electronic Circular