Physicist Maxime Devogel, University of Central Florida, revealed the results of calculations of the path and impact of the asteroid 2024 BX1, which exploded over the atmosphere of Berlin. Germany on January 21, it turned out to be the fastest orbiting asteroid ever. Using a speed of 2.6 seconds and using a forward speed of 50,000 kilometers per hour. The results of this calculation were supported by data from the European Space Agency (ESA) and published in the academic archive arXiv on April 5.
Normally, it would be difficult to find small asteroids heading towards Earth at high speeds. Most of them are discovered shortly before the accident. However, scientists can use orbital data and images to calculate the historical identification of asteroids.
Asteroid 2024 BX1 was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Christian Szarnieczky using the Konkoli Observatory in the Matra mountain range, Hungary, on January 20, before impacting and exploding in Earth's atmosphere for about a day. The asteroid's structure is about one meter in diameter. The explosion occurred in the atmosphere, and it was found that there was no severe impact on Earth.
A technique used to calculate the rotational speed of an asteroid. The researchers used this to adjust the aperture of the telescope at the observatory. In order to be able to clearly see the positions of the stars in the background image and allow the asteroid to move across the image to appear as a trail of light, the images were then analyzed to compare the light coming from the asteroid. In the background, the positions of various stars can be seen, as asteroid 2024 BX1 rotates on its own 33,000 times a day, or approximately 2,588 seconds per revolution.
The record holder for the fastest rotating asteroid ever discovered is an asteroid named 2020 HS7, which was discovered in 2020. Scientists calculated that its rotation speed is 2.99 seconds per revolution, and its diameter is 4-8 meters, or slightly larger than the asteroid 2024 BX1.
Scientists say that the rotation of asteroids occurs due to a number of factors, such as being pushed by collisions with smaller asteroids. Small asteroids have a chance of rotating faster than larger asteroids. In addition to asteroid 2024 BX1, physicist Maxime Devogel has studied and calculated the rotation of two other asteroids, 2023 CX1 and 2024 EF.
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