'Mini-moons' likely orbiting Earth, says study

Brett Molina USA TODAY

Published 1:21 p.m. UTC Aug 16, 2018

Scientists say in a new study the discovery of 'mini-moons' caught in Earth's orbit could offer a better understanding of what makes up asteroids.

Researchers say the mini-moons are small asteroids temporarily captured in Earth's orbit. The objects are usually between 1-2 meters in size and have been difficult to detect because they move out of Earth's orbit so quickly. To date, only one mini-moon has ever been discovered.

"These asteroids are delivered towards Earth from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter via gravitational interactions with the Sun and planets in our solar system," said Dr. Robert Jedicke, lead author, based at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, in a statement. "The challenge lies in finding these small objects, despite their close proximity."

Some mini-moons may fly past Earth, while others complete a revolution around the planet before either escaping its orbit or entering its atmosphere, scientists say.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science.

Researchers say the creation of a new telescope — the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) — will make it easier to capture these mini-moons as they move through Earth's orbit.

The discovery of these objects will help experts get a better scientific understanding of the origins of asteroids.

"We don't know whether small asteroids are monolithic blocks of rock, fragile sand piles, or something in between," said Dr. Mikael Granvik, an author on the study and planetary scientist for the Luleå University of Technology in Sweden and the University of Helsinki in Finland, in a statement. "Mini-moons that spend significant time in orbit around Earth allow us to study the density of these bodies and the forces that act within them, and therefore solve this mystery."

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

Let's block ads! (Why?)