A lost piece from the moon follows us, perhaps

The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth, but many more celestial objects orbit the Sun, and in our view they seem to orbit the Earth: in fact they follow an orbit around us. Star and for this reason they are called “semi-satellites”. One of these is Kamoʻoalewa, a stone reaching a maximum width of 40 meters: it is very small and difficult to notice, so far we know very little about it.

A new research, recently Published In the journal Science Communications Earth and the environment, Kamoʻoalewa speculates that it may have originated from the moon, perhaps following an impact with another celestial body that may have split itself. The hypothesis may help explain some of its specific characteristics, but not everyone still believes it.

469219 Kamoʻoalewa (or 2016 HO3, use full name) fu Found Since 2016 Pan_STARRS1, The Halegala Laboratory in Hawaii is one of the telescopes used to detect and analyze celestial bodies, especially asteroids. In Hawaiian, Kamoʻoalewa means “swinging celestial body.”

In its apparent orbit around the Earth, it is approaching 14.5 million kilometers from our planet, while at maximum moments it is more than 40 million kilometers away from us. So it is at a safe distance: it does not pose a risk, but at the same time it is difficult to take care of it.

Analysis of Kamoʻoalewa movements is allowed To calculate The semi-satellite began to have a relatively stable orbit about a century ago, and for many centuries it orbited the Sun and met occasionally with the Earth. However, mere knowledge of his movements does not allow him to accurately reconstruct Kamolova’s appearance.

469219 Evolution over the centuries of Kamoʻoalewa (pink) and the Earth’s (blue) orbit around the Sun (Wikimedia)

In early 2017, when the Earth was between the Sun and Kamoʻoalewa, the semi-satellite was well lit by our star, which was the best time to make more accurate observations. A team of astronomers in Arizona used two telescopes to reconstruct how it reflects sunlight and its composition.

As they explain in their study, astronomers have noted the presence of silicates, a type of mineral common in our solar system, very similar in properties to those found on the moon. Initially, the authors of the research thought they had made some mistakes because they were expecting to identify a Kamolova compound similar to the asteroids. Subsequent analyzes, some of which confirmed the observations made earlier in the summer, strengthened the hypothesis about the lunar origin of the semi-satellite.

Kamoʻoalewa would have formed following the path of another small sky that collided with the moon, which led to a small piece jump. The other three celestial bodies with similar characteristics to Camoleva that emerged from the same collision are slightly further away (in astronomical terms) from Earth.

It is not easy to confirm the hypothesis developed in the research, however, the authors themselves agree that there may be other explanations. Kamoʻoalewa may have nothing to do with the Moon, and may be a slightly different asteroid with a compound reminiscent of the composition of our satellite. The semi-satellite may be part of a larger asteroid that ended up in a different orbit following the Sun’s gravitational pull.

To get more solid ingredients, it is necessary to look at how chamomile is made on the spot. Fortunately for researchers, China is Project Will be visiting Kamolova in space for the next few years. A study takes some samples from the surface of the celestial body and carries them to Earth, where they can be analyzed and compared with those taken over time with lunar missions.