An asteroid which follows Jupiter's orbit goes in another direction. Asteroid 2015 BZ turn its head away from its mother planet.
Science News reported the unusual activity of an asteroid which belongs to the first object that was found to follow Jupiter's orbit million years ago. Commonly, the gas giant Jupiter follows the sun's orbit with its asteroids around, but one of it goes in the reverse direction.
Asteroid 2015 BZ travels in backward direction that placed scientists and astronomers in such curiosity. The asteroid which goes along Jupiter's orbit was discovered in Hawaii in the year 2015 with the Pan-STARRS observatory.
According to Space, the asteroid which supposed to follow Jupiter's orbit was noticed by the scientists for it obviously, goes in opposite direction. This unusual activity is called retrograde motion when an asteroid goes in other direction away from the rest.
This happens very rarely and only 0.01 percent are recorded since. The asteroid which goes in another way of the Jupiter's orbit is thought to be impossible to coexist with the planet. It is because the celestial body interactions would take down the asteroid. However, researchers confirm that because asteroid 2015 BZ goes in another orbit, this speculation does not happen.
Along with the observation is a finding that this is not the first time that an asteroid behaves this way. Researchers have found out that asteroid and Jupiter have shared an orbit for millions of years. The activity of the asteroid 2015 BZ which goes in other direction from the Jupiter's orbit is an unusual but not unique activity.
Team leader Paul Wiegert from the Western University in Ontario Canada used Large Binocular Telescope or LBT to track the unusual activity of the asteroid which supposed to follow its mother Jupiter's orbit. "The stranger thing is that asteroid 2015 BZ is also playing a cosmic game of chicken with the giant planet Jupiter. While other retrograde asteroids tend to remain away from the planets," Weigert said.
