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Title: Rumors of Earth's 2nd moon are slightly exaggerated
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URL Source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/sp ... captured-second-moon-says-nasa
Published: Jul 12, 2016
Author: NASA
Post Date: 2016-07-12 23:49:45 by NeoconsNailed
Keywords: None
Views: 115
Comments: 5
Well, this is awkward. Earth's relationship with the moon is no longer a monogamous one. Scientists have identified a second, mini-moon orbiting our planet that has probably only been around for about 100 years, reports NASA. This second moon looks to be a recently captured asteroid, and like a mistress, its subtle dance with Earth may be fleeting, only sticking around for a few centuries. Still, it's a remarkable event that proves just how dynamic our gravitational relationship is with near-Earth objects. The video above showcases in detail the path of the new moon's orbit as it bobs up and down like a tiny float in choppy water. As said, it's small, measuring in at only around 120 feet across and no more than 300 feet wide, which is probably why it has taken so long for scientists to spot it. (It was only just spotted last April.) Its distance from Earth varies from between 38 and 100 times the distance of our planet’s primary moon. The quasi-satellite was given the label of asteroid 2016 HO3, though surely it ought to be in line for a more charismatic title sometime soon. Scientists also assure that the space rock is no threat to our planet or to our main squeeze, the moon. "The asteroid's loops around Earth drift a little ahead or behind from year to year, but when they drift too far forward or backward, Earth's gravity is just strong enough to reverse the drift and hold onto the asteroid so that it never wanders farther away than about 100 times the distance of the moon," said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "The same effect also prevents the asteroid from approaching much closer than about 38 times the distance of the moon. In effect, this small asteroid is caught in a little dance with Earth." "Our calculations indicate 2016 HO3 has been a stable quasi-satellite of Earth for almost a century, and it will continue to follow this pattern as Earth's companion for centuries to come," he added. Poster Comment: It's 9 million miles away -- minor detail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claimed_moons_of_Earth
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#1. To: NeoconsNailed (#0)
Interesting. Thanks. 9 million miles .... about 1/10th the distance to the sun.
True that! Glad it was of interest. The really wild thing is that it's only been there about a century. In space time that's not even a speck of dust on the hourglass! Wonder if it's ever happened before. Heard it on WRH, of course. The things he just throws into the mix! (Canaan Banana, to be exact :-) _____________________________________________________________ “We build but to tear down. Most of our work and resource is squandered. Our onward march is marked by devastation. Everywhere there is an appalling loss of time, effort and life. A cheerless view, but true.” - Tesla per FP
The current president of Venezuela is President Maduro. (Yes the one destroying the country). Maduro is a fruit very much resembling a banana. It's larger, and prepared by cooking by either baking or frying, though it's best to wait for the skin to turn partially or mostly black before it's ready to prepare that way. Eating raw doesn't work. When they are green, they are called "plantains" or "Verde". Verde is Spanish for "green". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_plantain They are eaten while green also, though frying is the only way to cook them. I don't like them. Why people ever started eating them when green.... I guess when food got scarce hundreds of years ago that's what they did, and then they never stopped.
According to Wiki, yes, and regularly. ...
Think of that.
_____________________________________________________________ “We build but to tear down. Most of our work and resource is squandered. Our onward march is marked by devastation. Everywhere there is an appalling loss of time, effort and life. A cheerless view, but true.” - Tesla per FP
#2. To: Pinguinite (#1)
#3. To: NeoconsNailed (#2)
#4. To: NeoconsNailed (#2)
True that! Glad it was of interest. The really wild thing is that it's only been there about a century. In space time that's not even a speck of dust on the hourglass! Wonder if it's ever happened before.
Other small natural objects in orbit around the Sun may enter orbit around Earth for a short amount of time, becoming temporary natural satellites. To date, the only confirmed example has been 2006 RH120 in Earth orbit during 2006 and 2007, though further instances are already predicted.[1]
Although no other moons of Earth have been found to date, there are various types of near-Earth objects in 1:1 resonance with it, which are known as quasi-satellites. Quasi-satellites orbit the Sun from the same distance as a planet, rather than the planet itself. Their orbits are unstable, and will fall into other resonances or be kicked into other orbits over thousands of years.[3] Quasi-satellites of Earth include 2010 SO16, (164207) 2004 GU9,[23] (277810) 2006 FV35,[24] 2002 AA29,[25] 2014 OL339, 2013 LX28, 2016 HO3 and 3753 Cruithne. Cruithne, discovered in 1986, orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit but appears to have a horseshoe orbit when viewed from Earth.[3][26] Some went as far to nickname Cruithne "Earth's second moon".[26]
#5. To: Pinguinite (#4)
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