Meet Chiron, a comet with rings now in retrograde
What's the story
Chiron, a celestial body located beyond Jupiter and Saturn, is currently in retrograde motion until January 2, 2026. Discovered by astronomer Charles Kowal in 1977, Chiron was initially classified as an asteroid but later identified as a comet due to its occasional tail or "coma." In 2023, astronomers also confirmed that Chiron has rings, making it the fourth non-planetary object in our solar system to have them.
Orbital details
Chiron's orbit and distance from Sun
Chiron, officially known as (2060) Chiron, has an elliptical orbit around the Sun. Its closest approach is about 1.3 billion kilometers away, roughly eight times the distance between Earth and Sun, and its farthest point is a staggering 2.7 billion km away or nearly 19 times that distance. This places it between Jupiter and Uranus's orbits, even crossing Saturn's path at times.
Centaur classification
What does the name 'Chiron' signify?
Chiron is part of the Centaurs, small solar system bodies with unstable orbits due to gravitational interactions with giant planets. In Greek mythology, centaurs were half-human, half-horse creatures. Chiron was the oldest and wisest of these beings. This mythological connection adds another layer of intrigue to our understanding of this unique celestial body.
Retrograde explained
What is retrograde motion in astronomy?
In astronomy, retrograde motion refers to the apparent backward movement of an object in the sky as seen from Earth. All planets and Chiron orbit the Sun in the same direction, usually appearing to move west-to-east across the sky. However, when Earth overtakes a planet or vice versa, that body temporarily appears to move east-to-west against other celestial objects. This is called apparent retrograde motion.