Astrophysicist Raúl de la Fuente looks for Arjuna-type asteroids, located between Earth and the Moon with orbits similar to our planet’s.
Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, astrophysicist at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, is one of the most active researchers pushing the boundaries of Solar System knowledge in European astronomy. With more than two decades of experience in orbital dynamics and over one hundred scientific publications, his work has focused especially on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), and together with Carlos de la Fuente —his brother and main collaborator—he is one of the leading experts on Arjuna-type asteroids, located between Earth and the Moon with orbits similar to our planet’s.
(UCM / Light Bridges)
De la Fuente actively participates in SIDERA25, a Light Bridges project aimed at significantly advancing the knowledge and characterization of objects classified as Arjunas. In this interview, he tells us how instruments like theTwo-Meter Twin Telescope (TTT) help him to observe these elusive but strategically important bodies.
In some of your most recent publications, you use both the Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Two-Meter Twin Telescope on asteroids or mini-moons to characterize objects like PT5 or FY3. Does working with GTC and TTT together allow for better validation of findings, or does each telescope contribute different data?
Yes, tandem telescope work is becoming increasingly common. Smaller telescopes collect data to make possible the more complex and detailed observations of larger and more powerful telescopes. Let’s say that agile and dynamic telescopes like the TTT pave the way for slower telescopes with more restrictions, but much more powerful ones like the GTC.
In our particular case, the synergy of TTT and GTC allowed us to optimize the study of 2024 PT5 and 2023 FY3 both in time and depth.
What is most interesting about the Arjunas and what do we still need to learn?
The Arjunas are the great unknowns among NEOs. They include objects that can become mini-moons or be candidates for space mining missions. Although they are close to us, their visibility windows are short, and that’s where telescopes like TTT and GTC show their strength: TTT improves the orbits, and GTC obtains their spectra before they become too weak.
“Tandem telescope work is becoming increasingly common”
With so many new objects discovered, how do you decide what to study first?
Priority is always on those that can interact directly with Earth, whether through collision, temporary capture, or resonant behavior. They are our main focus.
And what are the big questions we could resolve soon?
The Arjunas tell us about the present, not the past. They won’t solve how the Solar System formed, but they will tell us how NEOs behave now. And that’s crucial for understanding their potential risk or commercial application, which is what’s most interesting in the current context.
(Astronomy and Astrophysics)
📚 Check here all publications by Dr. Raúl de la Fuente Marcos:
https://produccioncientifica.ucm.es/investigadores/182208/publicaciones
