Orbital Characteristics of Satellites
The orbital properties of the satellites are listed in this table. The orbital planes of both satellites are inclined relative to each other; the relative inclination is about 14 degrees. Such a large inclination is suggestive of past evolutionary events (e.g., close encounter with a terrestrial planet, mean-motion resonance crossing) that may have excited their orbits from a coplanar configuration to an inclined state.
| Name | Mass | Semi-major axis | Orbital period | Eccentricity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma (inner) | ~10×1010 | 3.8 | 0.686 | 0.016 |
| Beta (outer) | ~24×1010 | 16.6 | 6.225 | 0.015 |
Read more about this topic: (153591) 2001 SN263
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