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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAn extra moon may be orbiting Earth
An extra moon may be orbiting Earth and scientists think they know exactly where it came from
The near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa, which orbits alongside our planet as a 'minimoon,' may have originated from Giordano Bruno crater on the far side of the moon, new research suggests.
A fast-spinning asteroid that orbits in time with Earth may be a wayward chunk of the moon. Now, scientists think they know exactly which lunar crater it came from.
A new study, published April 19 in the journal Nature Astronomy, finds that the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa may have been flung into space when a mile-wide (1.6 kilometers) space rock hit the moon, creating the Giordano Bruno crater.
Kamo'oalewa's light reflectance matches that of weathered lunar rock, and its size, age and spin all match up with the 13.6-mile-wide (22 km) crater, which sits on the far side of the moon, the study researchers reported.
China plans to launch a sample-return mission to the asteroid in 2025. Called Tianwen-2, the mission will return pieces of Kamo'oalewa about 2.5 years later, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com.
"The possibility of a lunar-derived origin adds unexpected intrigue to the [Tianwen-2] mission and presents additional technical challenges for the sample return," Bin Cheng, a planetary scientist at Tsinghua University and a co-author of the new study, told Science.
Giordano Bruno crater (the white, rayed crater on the right) may be the source of the peculiar near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa. (Image credit: NASA)
https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/strange-minimoon-orbiting-alongside-earth-may-be-a-piece-of-the-far-side-of-the-moon-new-research-hints?utm_term=55C996C6-4393-4B13-9736-9BEC0BC6AFA6&lrh=990ccd8e582dc48a5de81889b47c5d726c369528246fb5cf774b4c820833a528&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=30533522-7AA1-48EA-9937-14374834AD2F&utm_source=SmartBrief
AllaN01Bear
(18,532 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)SocialDemocrat61
(682 posts)dchill
(38,561 posts)...no, seriously! Cool story! 😎
Fullduplexxx
(7,872 posts)sakabatou
(42,186 posts)But it sounds like it has a stable orbit outside of Earth's.
pecosbob
(7,545 posts)Be careful who you let set up camp on the Moon. Launch a basketball sized rock at the earth from a cannon and it will destroy an entire city.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)With the resident physicist here yet.
Will post later.
(Been so preoccupied with hip pain.)
Response to Bayard (Original post)
Duppers This message was self-deleted by its author.
betsuni
(25,686 posts)Stinky The Clown
(67,831 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,347 posts)Youll be hearing from my attorneys.
ecstatic
(32,745 posts)was headed our way?
Or would they just let us be surprised at the last minute?