3 ms·
Knowing the asteroid's composition isn't required to calculate the mass. This can be derived by the orbit. So, the total mass of the binary system (main and moo
by forgotpwd16 7y ago
Knowing the asteroid's composition isn't required to calculate the mass. This can be derived by the orbit. So, the total mass of the binary system (main and moonlet) is known, but the mass contribution of each isn't. Assuming though that they have the same bulk density, M2/M1 = (D2/D1)^3 ~ 0.0116 and considering Σ Mi = M, then M2 ~ 0.0115M.
- danmaz74 7y agoThank you. I searched better online, the total mass is estimated at 52.7 billion kg, so the mass of the moonlet should be around 606,000 metric tons.