What you need to know about Earth's new, temporary mini-moon

Date:

Share post:


The object is part of the Arjuna asteroid belt.

Speaking to Space.com, Universidad Complutense de Madrid professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos — one of the people who discovered the mini-moon — described Arjuna as “a secondary asteroid belt made of space rocks that follow orbits very similar to that of Earth at an average distance to the sun of about 93 million miles.”

He said that some objects in the belt can come close enough to Earth and at velocities low enough (roughly 2.8 million miles away and 2,200 miles per hour) to allow them to temporarily orbit Earth.

Other scientists even think that, based upon its past trajectory, the asteroid might be a piece of Earth’s moon that flew off after a previous impact.



Source link

Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden is a news writer for LinkDaddy News. She writes health, sport, tech, and more. Some of her favorite topics include the latest trends in fitness and wellness, the best ways to use technology to improve your life, and the latest developments in medical research.

Recent posts

Related articles

Is this "slow" strength training method the fountain of youth? L.A.'s 90-year-olds say yes

DeLoyce Alcorn is 92 years old — and pressing nearly four times that in weight at...

Prominent USC scientist goes on leave amid research misconduct allegations

A prominent neuroscientist at USC is on leave nearly a year after allegations of research misconduct...

Opinion: Too many older Americans are getting tested for Alzheimer's

An 80-something patient came in for an annual visit recently and was worried that recent memory...

Gas prices could rise after vote by California regulators

California air quality regulators late Friday approved tougher rules to encourage use of lower-carbon fuels, overriding...

Food, fluoride and funding: How a new Trump term might affect health in California

Donald Trump’s return to the White House stands to significantly shape the health of Californians —...

Are famous people more likely to die at 27, or does dying at 27 make them more famous?

Their deaths have fueled the notion that 27 is a lethal age for musicians and other...

Microdosing Ozempic? Why some people are playing doctor with weight-loss drugs

Shauna Bookless never imagined she’d become her own pharmacist. But after gaining more than 20 pounds...

A Trump win could spell major changes for California's drinking water, RFK Jr. says

More than half of Californians and nearly 75% of U.S. residents live in communities where fluoride...