An asteroid currently making a temporary, horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth will make its closest approach in January before continuing its journey through the solar system, The Associated Press reports, citing NASA.
While not technically a moon – it was never fully captured by Earth’s gravity – the object’s unusual behavior has intrigued scientists.
The asteroid, first spotted in August, began its “mini-moon” phase in late September after being drawn into Earth’s gravitational influence. Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, astrophysicist brothers from Complutense University of Madrid, have been tracking the object using telescopes in the Canary Islands, accumulating hundreds of observations.
Currently over 2 million miles from Earth, the asteroid is too small and faint to be visible without powerful telescopes. Its closest approach will occur in January, at a safe distance of approximately 1.1 million miles. Following this close pass, it will accelerate away from Earth, orbiting the sun until its anticipated return in 2055 – a distance nearly five times further than the Moon.
Raul de la Fuente Marcos explains that the asteroid’s speed will be more than double its September velocity by the time of its next close approach, making a sustained Earth orbit impossible.
NASA will utilize the Goldstone solar system radar antenna in California’s Mojave Desert to track the asteroid for over a week in January, leveraging the Deep Space Network. Preliminary data suggests that during its 2055 visit, the asteroid might once again execute a brief, partial loop around Earth.
