Research
Backward world? Rubin finds a retrograde object past Neptune
EarthSky · By Kelly Kizer Whitt ·
The Brief
- The Rubin Observatory in Chile has discovered a retrograde object, currently labeled R631.
- R631 orbits the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune, at a steep inclination.
- EarthSky's report includes a simulation of the object's orbit by Tony Dunn.
Why it matters
Discoveries of distant, steeply inclined objects help map the outer Solar System and test models of how it formed.
Who’s affected
- Astronomers studying trans-Neptunian objects
- #rubin observatory
- #trans-neptunian objects
- #solar system
- #retrograde orbit
- #astronomy
Rubin Observatory has discovered a retrograde object, currently labeled R631. It orbits the sun beyond the orbit of the 8th planet, Neptune, at a steep inclination. Simulation via Tony Dunn . Rubin finds retrograde object past Neptune The new Rubin Observatory in Chile has found…