Destination: Toutatis
Posted: 09.09.2002, 22:35
One of my favorite solar system destinations in Celestia is the 5km long asteroid Toutatis. It rotates in a very unusual manner that I've worked to simulate in Celestia 1.2.5 . . . Instead of simple rotation about a single axis, Toutatis has two components to its rotation with periods of 5.4 and 7.3 days. See the explanation and animations here:
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/~hudson/Research/Asteroids/index.htm
Then, visit Toutatis in Celestia (ideally, in the 1.2.5 prerelease) . . . Try getting close to the surface, then press y to enable sync orbit mode, and look at the horizon to experience Toutatis's bizarre day/night cycle. The stars loop about in the sky and don't appear to orbit about a single point.
If you accelerate time, you can watch Toutatis pass close by Earth in September 2004. This is the closest approach to Earth of an asteroid larger than 1km in the next 30 years. Celestia only uses an ellipse to model Toutatis's orbit, so it doesn't get the approach timing and path completely right. The model of Toutatis shape was derived from radar observations made during a previous close encounter with Earth.
--Chris
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/~hudson/Research/Asteroids/index.htm
Then, visit Toutatis in Celestia (ideally, in the 1.2.5 prerelease) . . . Try getting close to the surface, then press y to enable sync orbit mode, and look at the horizon to experience Toutatis's bizarre day/night cycle. The stars loop about in the sky and don't appear to orbit about a single point.
If you accelerate time, you can watch Toutatis pass close by Earth in September 2004. This is the closest approach to Earth of an asteroid larger than 1km in the next 30 years. Celestia only uses an ellipse to model Toutatis's orbit, so it doesn't get the approach timing and path completely right. The model of Toutatis shape was derived from radar observations made during a previous close encounter with Earth.
--Chris
