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Updated November 11th, 2021 at 23:31 IST

Astronomers speculate this near-Earth asteroid might be a lost chunk of the Moon

Scientists from the University of Arizona have claimed that the near-Earth asteroid Kamo`oalewa is a piece of the moon, that separated years ago.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
Scientists
Image: ANI/Pixabay | Image:self
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Some astronomers have come up with a surprising research where they suggest that a space rock approaching the Earth is none other than a broken piece of our planet's largest satellite, the Moon. Every year in April, this particular asteroid comes close enough to Earth, making it possible for astronomers to spot it. No bigger than a Ferris wheel, the near-Earth asteroid has been named Kamo`oalewa, which is a Hawaiian term for "the oscillating celestial fragment".

The asteroid's spectrum matched Apollo mission rock samples

Kamo`oalewa was first discovered in 2016 when astronomers followed its orbit using the Pan STARRS telescope located in Hawaii. This time, the team of researchers led by Ben Sharkey, from the University of Arizona, analysed the asteroid using the Arizona-based Large Binocular Telescope and observed the patterns of light or spectrum reflected off it.

"I looked through every near-Earth asteroid spectrum we had access to, and nothing matched", said Sharkey, as per ANI. 

Surprisingly, his observations found that the spectrum of this space rock matched the samples of rocks retrieved from the Moon decades ago during the Apollo missions. Co-author of the study Vishnu Reddy said, "We doubted ourselves to death," and revealed that his team was finally able to find the last piece of the puzzle, as the study was halted last year owing to the COVID pandemic. 

Another co-author of the study Renu Malhotra, explained that Kamo`oalewa's orbit is a clue to its origin. She explained that its orbit is similar to that of Earth but with just a little tilt, which is unusual for a near-Earth asteroid. 

This intriguing space rock measures no more than 150-190 feet in diameter and can get as close as 14.4 million kilometers to Earth. Currently, the asteroid is four million times fainter than the faintest star a normal human eye can spot.

According to Malhotra, this space rock arrived in its current orbit nearly 500 years ago and is likely to stay there for the next 300 years. Meanwhile, the scientists are trying to figure what caused the asteroid's separation from the moon and how it ended up where it is today.

Image: ANI/Pixabay

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Published November 11th, 2021 at 23:31 IST

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