Back in the 1980s, the arrival of asteroid 2201 Oljato inside the orbit of Venus heralded a flurry of magnetic activity. Now, results from ESA's Venus Express spacecraft suggest that Oljato has lost its magnetic mojo. Dr. Christopher Russell will present an explanation for Oljato's strange behavior at the European Planetary Science Congress in Madrid on Tuesday 25th September.
Oljato orbits the Sun once every 3.2 years. During its lifetime, NASA's Pioneer Venus Orbiter observed three passages of Oljato between Venus and the Sun. Each time, there was a marked increase in the region of unusual magnetic peaks known as Interplanetary Field Enhancements (IFEs), both ahead and behind the asteroid.
Oljato orbits the Sun once every 3.2 years. During its lifetime, NASA's Pioneer Venus Orbiter observed three passages of Oljato between Venus and the Sun. Each time, there was a marked increase in the region of unusual magnetic peaks known as Interplanetary Field Enhancements (IFEs), both ahead and behind the asteroid.