[ad_1]
Lapatilla
Asteroid 2020 CD3, discovered earlier this year, is the second natural temporary satellite – or mini moon – detected around Earth. There wasn’t much going around around here, but we learned some interesting things about this temporary visitor and why it might be a good idea to try and send missions to similar items in the future.
Por: George Dvorsky | Gizmodo
The 2020 CD3 asteroid was first discovered by astronomers from the University of Arizona’s Catalina Sky Survey program on February 15, 2020. So some preliminary calculations were made about its size and orbit, but new research published in The Astronomical Journal provides the most complete analysis ever of this rare mini-moon.
In fact, “rare” may not be the best way to define it. Perhaps it is better to explain that what is “strange” is having detected it. Mini moons, or temporary natural satellites, are probably quite common; they are simply very difficult to see, due to their small size and fickle nature. But as the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) points out, about 1 in 1,000 meteorites that disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere were once mini-moons.
Read the full note on Gizmodo.
[ad_2]
Source link
