You might be surprised to learn that the moon we see in the night sky is not the only one orbiting Earth. Some people have started referring to a strange object that appears to be orbiting our planet as Earth’s “second moon,” and scientists are puzzled about its origins. You might have already spotted it.
There are actually many moon-like objects in the universe surrounding us, but out of over 200,000 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), only a few have orbits similar to Earth’s. One of them, named 469219 Kamo’oalewa, orbits the sun but moves in sync with our orbit, making it seem like it’s orbiting Earth. It is often considered our “quasi-moon” or even the “Apollo asteroid.”
Kamo’oalewa, estimated to be as large as the Statue of Liberty, has a diameter ranging from 40 to 100 meters (131 to 328 feet) and rotates swiftly every 28 minutes.
In general, NEAs are space rocks believed to originate from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. However, recent research suggests that Kamo’oalewa may be more similar to a moon than an asteroid.
Published in the journal Nature Astronomy, a new study utilized an existing analysis of Kamo’oalewa’s light spectrum. The analysis indicated the presence of silicates, a mineral commonly found in lunar samples. In essence, our “second moon” likely originated from our first moon.
A research team from Tsinghua University in China tested this theory using computer models. They found that Kamo’oalewa’s physical shape and orbit are consistent with it being debris resulting from a significant impact that created craters on the moon’s far side.
“If you observe our moon with the naked eye or binoculars, you can see evidence of its tumultuous past. Each crater you see has ejected rocks into space,” said Dr. Darren Baskill, an astronomer not involved in the study, according to BBC Science Focus.
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
