KG4CGC
02-10-2017, 02:51 AM
It's official. The Earth has a new moon and the United States of America has claimed it. More in the link.
http://inhabitat.com/nasa-confirms-a-second-mini-moon-is-circling-earth/
NASA scientists estimate that Earth’s new playmate, known as “asteroid 2016 HO3,” has probably been around for about 100 years. It was first detected on April 27 by the Pan-STARRS 1 asteroid survey telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, which is operated by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. Although the asteroid moon (http://inhabitat.com/tag/moon/) is currently in Earth’s orbit, it may not stay for long—at least in the grand scheme of the timeline of the universe. The asteroid’s own orbit has a unique pattern, doing a slow back-and-forth twist over multiple decades, and it’s expected to continue flirting with our green planet for at least a few more centuries.
http://inhabitat.com/nasa-confirms-a-second-mini-moon-is-circling-earth/
NASA scientists estimate that Earth’s new playmate, known as “asteroid 2016 HO3,” has probably been around for about 100 years. It was first detected on April 27 by the Pan-STARRS 1 asteroid survey telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, which is operated by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. Although the asteroid moon (http://inhabitat.com/tag/moon/) is currently in Earth’s orbit, it may not stay for long—at least in the grand scheme of the timeline of the universe. The asteroid’s own orbit has a unique pattern, doing a slow back-and-forth twist over multiple decades, and it’s expected to continue flirting with our green planet for at least a few more centuries.