Although the James Webb Space Telescope fascinated the world with its observations of galaxies, nebulae and exoplanets, it has now managed to detect a much smaller object. The discovery of a graceful, previously unknown asteroid came as a haphazard surprise to astronomers.
A team of European astronomers found the asteroid in data collected by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). “The object is possibly the smallest object observed by Webb to date, and may be an example of an object less than 1 kilometer in length in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter,” NASA and the European Space Agency said in a statement.
The asteroid is estimated to be between 100 and 200 meters long, or roughly the size of the Colosseum in Rome.
The MIRI images that revealed the asteroid were used for calibration and performance testing. Webb was actually looking at a known main belt asteroid (10920) 1998 BC1. So, the new asteroid actually accidentally entered the gravitational frame.
Astronomer Thomas Muller of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics said the asteroid was found “completely unexpectedly”. The asteroid discovery is cited as proof of Webb’s advanced abilities. “Our detection lies in the main asteroid belt, but Webb’s incredible sensitivity made it possible to see this nearly 100-meter object from more than 100 million kilometers away,” Muller said.
The research team published a study on Webb’s ability to detect asteroids in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. There is still some uncertainty about the new space rock, and follow-up studies will need to be arranged to determine its orbit and confirm that it is indeed a newly discovered asteroid.
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