We all know about the one natural satellite that revolves around Earth, the moon- a celestial body which has been associated with beauty and mystique. But it is not the only natural satellite as many believe but there are other celestial objects called the minimoons, discovered by NASA in 2006.
According to research, the moon is not the only natural satellite the Earth has. As per Live Science, a survey was conducted by the US-based space agency NASA called the Catalina Sky Survey back in 2006. During the survey, the astronomers discovered something entirely new, among the thousands of man-made satellites which orbited the earth. After thoroughly observing, they concluded that it was not just some space junk floating around our planet, but another natural satellite which had somehow made its way into the earth’s orbit, just like our moon.
This celestial body, or the minimoon was called 2006 RH120, and it was only found to be a few meters big. According to more research, it only orbited around the earth for a year, before being ejected away. Then in 2020, the Catalina Sky Survey scientists found another minimoon and called it 2020 CD3. It was as big as a small car in size, orbiting the Earth before being thrown out of it in March 2020.
These minimoons have been a subject of intrigue and scrutiny for astronomers due to their closeness to our planet. Planetary sciences professor, Richard Binzel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that we are not an interplanetary species yet, and the minimoon discovery can prove to be a milestone “to achieve as you’re learning how humans can operate in interplanetary space, and ultimately reach Mars”.
Researchers further stated that a journey to the minimoon would only take around 100 days, to reach it, and come back with a “puff of fuel” as told by Richard Binzel.
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