Scientists recently discovered an asteroid sticking to Earth during its annual trip around the Sun.
Dubbed 2023 FW13, the space rock is thought to be a ‘quasi-moon’ or ‘quasi-satellite’, which orbits the Sun in a similar timeframe as Earth’s, but with a minor effect of Earth’s gravity. It means that you have not received anything. Its diameter is estimated to be 50 feet (15 meters), roughly equivalent to three large SUVs parked on each bumper. 2023 FW13 orbits the Earth during its orbit around the Sun, coming within 9 million miles (14 million kilometers) of her from Earth. For comparison, according to NASA, the Moon is 2,159 miles (3,474 km) in diameter and comes within 226,000 miles (364,000 km) of Earth at its closest point in its orbit.
2023 FW13 was first observed in March by the Pan-STARRS Observatory atop Haleakala volcano in Hawaii. The asteroid’s existence was later confirmed by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii and two observatories in Arizona, and was announced on April 1 by the International Astronomical Union, a network of scientists responsible for designating new planets and moons. It was officially listed by the Minor Planet Center. other celestial bodies in the solar system.
Some estimates suggest that 2023 FW13 has been Earth’s cosmic neighbor since at least 100 B.C.E., and that space rocks will continue to follow this orbit until about 3700 AD. Classified astronomer and journalist Adrian Coffinet told Sky & Telescope after modeling its orbit.
“This appears to be the longest known quasi-satellite of Earth to date,” Coffinet said.
After 2023 FW13 was first discovered in March, space observers combed through the data and found observations of the asteroid dating back to 2012, according to Live Science’s sister site Space.com.
Despite hovering relatively close to Earth, the quasi-satellite is likely not on a collision course with Earth.
“The good news is that such orbits don’t result in ‘suddenly’ shocking orbits,” Astronomer Alan Harris of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science told Sky & Telescope.
This is not Earth’s only pseudo-mate. Another quasi-satellite known as Kamo’oarewa was discovered in 2016. The rock is similarly clinging to our planet during its orbit around the Sun, and a 2021 study suggests that the asteroid may actually be a piece of Earth’s moon. It was suggested.
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