An international team of astronomers has made an unexpected discovery near Uranus. An icy and rocky object known as a Centaur has been moving in a stable rhythm with the giant planet for thousands of years. This space partner, named 2015 OU₁₉₄, turned out to be unique among the chaotic objects between Uranus and Neptune due to its extreme orbital stability.
A study led by Daniel Bamberger (Northolt Branch Observatory, Germany) showed that Centaur completes exactly three orbits around the Sun for every four orbits of Uranus. This 4:3 resonance resembles an elegant dance that prevents collisions or the loss of a partner. Such long-lasting harmony is a rare phenomenon in the Solar System.
Witnesses of millennia
Archival data from the Japanese Subaru Telescope (Hawaii) for 2015, 2017, and 2018 confirmed the stability of the orbit of 2015 OU₁₉₄. Computer simulation conducted by scientists from Germany, the US, and Brazil has shown that this orbital duo has existed for hundreds of thousands to about a million years. Forecasts indicate that the “dance” will continue for another 500,000 years.
2015 OU₁₉₄ is the first known object with such a resonance with an outer planet. But everything could change: observations indicate at least two other centaurs — 2013 RG₉₈ and 2014 NX₆₅. Their orbits suggest possible similar connections with Uranus and Neptune. If the hypothesis is confirmed, 2015 OU₁₉₄ may turn out to be not a lone partner, but part of an entire cosmic trio. This opens a new page in the study of the dynamics of the outer planets.
Earlier, we reported on how scientists discovered thermal radiation from Uranus.
According to universetoday.com
