Small-Body Satellites

Intro/Description

This page lists known and suspected natural satellites of small bodies. Suspected satellites are marked as [unconfirmed] in the “Satellite Notes” column. Publicly available orbital and physical properties of the satellites can be displayed in the table below by selecting the appropriate checkbox. Additional information might be available in the object page that can be reached by clicking on the object name.

Satellites of small-bodies are mainly discovered through radar observations (e.g., Margot et al. 2002, Science 296), lightcurve observations (e.g., Pravec et al. 2006, Icarus 181), and direct optical imaging (e.g., Brown and Margot 2001, IAUC 7588). The method of discovery for each satellite is described in the source listed in the “Satellite Reference” column. Most small-bodies with known satellites are binary systems, i.e, they have a single known satellite, but some systems have two or more satellites.

Table of Asteroids with Satellites

Optionally, include one or both of the following additional field groups in the table:

id	pdes	Primary Body Designation	Primary Body Orbit Class		Discovery Year	Satellite Reference	Satellite Notes	oid													rotation period						bulk density
id	pdes	Primary Body Designation	Primary Body Orbit Class		Discovery Year	Satellite Reference	Satellite Notes	oid							value (km)	ref.	notes	value (km)	ref.	notes	value (h)	ref.	notes	value km³/s²	ref.	notes	value g/cm³	ref.	notes