Look, up in the sky — it’s Polymele

January 31, 2023
Observations from NASA's WISE all-sky survey reveal new clues about Jovian Trojans, mysterious asteroids that orbit in front of and behind Jupiter in its path around the sun seen here in an artist’s concept.Observations from NASA's WISE all-sky survey reveal new clues about Jovian Trojans, mysterious asteroids that orbit in front of and behind Jupiter in its path around the sun seen here in an artist’s concept.NASA/JPL-Caltech
An artist's rendering shows the Jovian asteroids that orbit in front and behind Jupiter. Astronomers will set up a hundred telescopes this week to spot the asteroid Polymele and its satellite.

Around 200 astronomers are gathering in Colorado this week before heading east in a search for clear skies and a view of an asteroid that’s 500 million miles away. The project is part of an effort to learn more about asteroid Polymele and its tiny satellite before a NASA flyby in 2027.