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- Astronomers have discovered what appears to be an asteroid heading into Earth’s orbit.
- If the object is indeed an asteroid and is inserted into Earth’s orbit, it would be considered a “mini-moon”, but not everyone is convinced.
- Some scientists, including members of NASA, believe that the “asteroid” is actually just an old rocket that has returned to Earth.
Everyone knows that the Earth has only one true Moon. You can see it most nights if you have a clear sky over your head, and it generally looks pretty neat. However, there are tons of smaller natural objects orbiting the Earth that are not big enough to be considered moons, but are still hovering. They are sometimes referred to as mini-moons, with a new one heading our way. That’s unless it’s just a piece of space junk.
The object, which has received the Asteroid 2020 SO designation, is expected to enter orbit around Earth as it passes 27,000 miles from our planets. Unfortunately, chances are high that it is not an asteroid at all, but a piece of ancient rocket technology that is returning to haunt us.
Humanity has thrown many things into space, and many of them are still there. Ancient satellites, fairings, and entire rocket boosters are still floating in Earth’s orbit or somewhere nearby. Sometimes the garbage we shoot into space disappears for a time only to come back, and that could be what is happening with Asteroid 2020 SO.
“I suspect that this newly discovered 2020 SO object is an ancient rocket booster because it follows an orbit around the Sun that is extremely similar to Earth’s, almost circular, on the same plane, and only slightly further from the Sun at its point. further afield, ”said Dr. Paul Chodas of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. CNN In an interview. “That is precisely the type of orbit that a separate rocket stage of a lunar mission would follow once it passes the Moon and escapes into orbit around the Sun. , but not impossible “.
So how old is the rocket stage? It’s probably from the 1960s, Chodas believes. More specifically, based on analysis of previous lunar mission launches, he believes it to be a thruster that was fired into space in 1966. The mission was supposed to send a lander, Surveyor 2, to the lunar surface, but instead it crashed. . Now, it seems, his booster is back to remind NASA of the misstep.
We won’t know for sure what the object is until it gets close to Earth. That will happen at the end of November, and at that time, we will know if it is a real asteroid or just another piece of space junk constantly accumulating around our planet.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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