Asteroid Elektra has a third satellite! This discovery makes E | Universe And Science

Asteroid Elektra has a third satellite! This discovery makes Electra the first ever quadruple asteroid system!

Elektra was first discovered in 1873, orbiting in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Oblong-shaped and 260 km across on its longest side, it is a relatively large asteroid and completes an orbit of the sun every five years. In 2003, the first moon was discovered orbiting Elektra, and in 2014 a second — their orbits are shown in orange and green. The discoveries were interesting, but not unusual — more than 150 asteroids are known to have one or two moons, in the same way planets can have moons. But now a team of astronomers led by Anthony Birdo of Thailand's National Institute of Astronomical Research has found third moon around the asteroid, whose orbit is marked in blue. Read more

Credit: ESO/Berdeu et al., Yang et al.