(5145) Pholus

See also: Pholus

5145 Pholus is a “centaur”, a Astéroïde whose Orbite crosses that of the external Planets Solar system. It was discovered the January 9th 1992 by David Rabinowitz, member of the project Spacewatch with the Université of Arizona to the the United States. Its name comes from Pholus, brother of the Centaure Chiron (of which (2060) Chiron, the first discovered centaur, car its own name) in the Greek Mythologie.

The orbit of Pholus is very eccentric; its Périhélie is located close to the orbit of Jupiter while its Aphélie approach that of Pluton. Like the other representatives of the class of the centaurs, one thinks that Pholus is an old object of the Ceinture of Kuiper, placed on an internal orbit in consequence of a disturbance nelle Gravitation.

With the difference of Chiron, Pholus does not have a cometary tail . It is thought on the other hand that it is about a comet core which forever be active. Pholus is also extremely red, the reddest body of all the solar system. A probable explanation: Pholus is covered with Molécule S organic, of simple Glace S in the beginning, converted into complex compounds by million years of exposure to the cosmic rays.

The orbit of the centaurs is never stable and it is difficult to predict which will be the destiny of long-term Pholus because it will be probably disturbed by one or several of the giant planets which he crosses during his revolution around the Sun.

External bond

Publication: 5145 Pholus like comet core

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