3749 Balam is an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt. It is named after the Canadian astronomer David D. Balam.

Satellite system

A satellite with a diameter of ~1.5 km, designated S/2002 (3749) 1, was discovered by William J. Merline, Laird M. Close, Nick Siegler, Christophe Dumas, Clark R. Chapman, Fran ois J. Rigaut, Fran ois M nard, William M. Owen Jr., and David C. Slater from the Gemini North Telescope, Mauna Kea; this was announced on February 13, 2002.^[1] It orbits 289 13 km away in 61 10 days, with an orbital eccentricity of ~0.9.^[2]

Being such as small primary body in the inner main belt with a separation of over 100 primary radii, S/2002 (3749) 1 is the most loosely-bound binary known.^[3] Balam has a hill sphere with a radius of about 1,500 km.^[2]

In March 2008, Franck Marchis discovered a larger (~3 km) inner companion, making this a triple system.^[4][5][6]

References

External links

• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris
• IAUC 7827
• Franck Marchis entry for 3749 Balam
• Orbits of Binary Asteroids with Adaptive Optics (VLT images)

de:(3749) Balam eo:3749 Balam fa: it:3749 Balam la:3749 Balam hu:3749 Balam ja: ( ) pl:3749 Balam pt:3749 Balam sk:3749 Balam sr:3749 Balam sv:3749 Balam uk:3749 vi:3749 Balam yo:3749 Balam