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February 27, 2020
An asteroid discovered in mid-February is currently orbiting our planet. It is only the second time that such a case has been observed.
Our new neighbor is not in stable orbit and should not be around very long. (Photo: DR)
Earth has temporarily captured a car-sized "mini-moon", according to astronomers who have spotted the celestial object orbiting our planet.
This satellite, from 1.90 to 3.50 meters in size, was observed on the night of February 15 by researchers Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne, from the Catalina Sky Survey project funded by the American space agency Nasa, in Arizona (southwest of the United States).
2020 CD3
Video above: Kacper Wierzchos via Twitter @WierzchosKacper, BIG NEWS (thread 1/3). Earth has a new temporarily captured object / possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On the night of February 15, my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Teddy Pruyne and I found a 20th magnitude object. Here are the discovery images.
"GREAT NEWS. Earth has a newly captured / possible mini-moon object called 2020 CD3 ", which could be a type C asteroid (carbonaceous, so very dark), tweeted Kacper Wierzchos on Wednesday.
Captured three years ago
For the astronomer, the information is "important" because "it is only the second known asteroid to gravitate around the Earth (after 2006 RH120, which was also discovered by Catalina Sky Survey)".
Its current orbit would have been captured by Earth's attraction three years ago, he said.
Animated orbits of 2020 mini CD3 moon
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Center for Minor Planets, which collects data on minor objects in the solar system, said that "no connection to any known artificial object has been made," stating that it must have been surely d 'an asteroid captured by Earth's gravity. "Orbital dynamics indicate that this object is temporarily linked to the Earth," according to the same source.
Already on departure
Our new neighbor is not in stable orbit and should not be around very long. "It is moving away from the Earth-Moon system as we speak," which it is expected to release in April, researcher Grigori Fedorets of Queen's University in Belfat told New Scientist magazine.
Earth has temporarily captured a car-sized "mini-moon"
The only other known asteroid to have gravity around Earth, 2006 RH120, was in orbit around our planet from September 2006 to June 2007.
Related links:
Orbitsimulator: http://orbitsimulator.com/gravitySimulatorCloud/simulations/1582674492776_2020cd3_mpec.html
Minor Planet Center: https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K20
Catalina Sky Survey (CSS): https://catalina.lpl.arizona.edu/
Images, Animation (mentioned), Video (CSS), Text, Credits: AFP/CSS/Kacper Wierzchos/NASA/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
