... or can you remember (153591) 2001 SN_263? The first triple asteroid system found (or put another way: asteroid with two satellites) has the name Sylvia. The new case is reported in the Electronic Telegram #1254: "Arecibo radar delay-Doppler images (2380 MHz, 12.6 cm) obtained on 2008 Feb. 12 show that minor planet (153591) is a triple system. Based on range extents at 75-m resolution, preliminary estimates of average diameters are 2 km, 1 km, and 400 m for the three components." There's much buzz today about yet another possible galaxy distance record (without a directly measured redshift!) - but there remains a lot to be discovered close to home, too!
In other news a waste-water dump from the ISS has been observed in binoculars minutes ago, in spite of bad viewing conditions! Many more close-up pictures were taken on Feb. 11 (another sequence, also larger) and on the 10th (also an animation), plus one photographer's collection and another one from SpaceWeather. Also yet another partial eclipse sequence from the South Pole - and a fine green segment at sunset.
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As listed by an expert, prior to the latest discovery three triple systems were known among those objects currently listed as minor planets (with two of them in the main and one in the Kuiper belt) and one quadruple system among the dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt.
Cornell has just distributed a press release, stressing that it's the first triple NEO.
And finally an actual - and quite impressive - radar picture has been published!
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