[meteorite-list] First Detailed Pictures of Binary Asteroid Reveal Bizarre System

[lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu]

Hi Darren:

Yes, you are right, but what do you expect from a reporter!

However, it you look at the animation (and given that it is a binary), you
can see the wobble of the larger mass as it is being pulled upon by the
smaller mass and the larger one precesses on its axis (they both precess)
due to the pull by the smaller mass. So, there is a gravitational effect
beyond just one orbiting the other.

Larry

On Fri, October 13, 2006 10:37 am, Darren Garrison wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:55:50 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:
>
>
>> Another interesting finding is that the two bodies in the asteroid
>> system are orbiting so closely that they are caught in each other's
>> gravitational pull.
>
> Wow.  Who would have thought two bodies orbiting each other would be
> effected by gravity. ______________________________________________
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