Astronomy Picture of the Day ·
The Case of the Backwards Orbiting Asteroid
The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 30, 2018 is “The Case of the Backwards Orbiting Asteroid,” a video. The video is copyrighted by its creator (Illustration Video Credit & Copyright: Western U. , Athabasca U. , Large Binocular Telescope Obs.). The original explanation runs about 168 words.
Watch the video on the original page From the explanation
“Why does asteroid 2015 BZ509 orbit the Sun the backwards? As shown in the featured animation, Jupiter’s trojan asteroids orbit the Sun in two major groups — one just ahead of Jupiter , and one just behind — but all orbit the Sun in the same direction as Jupiter.”
— APOD editors, May 30, 2018
Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov
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At a glance
- Date
- May 30, 2018
- Type
- Video
- Credit
- Credit: Illustration Video Credit & Copyright: Western U. , Athabasca U. , Large Binocular Telescope Obs.
- Copyright
- Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
- Explanation length
- About 168 words