Earth’s New Semi-Moon 2023 FW13: A Quasi-Satellite or a Near-Earth Asteroid?

2023-05-29 16:31:52

A new study reveals that Earth has a new moon – or at least a semi-moon.

A quasi-moon is a space rock that orbits the Earth but is gravitationally bound to the Sun.

The half moon, known as 2023 FW13, has been spotted by experts using the Pan-STARRS telescope over the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii, one of the few known half moons.

Experts believe that the ancient cosmic companion has been in Earth’s vicinity since 100 BC and will orbit our planet for at least another 1,500 years, until 3,700 AD.

Fortunately, a similar crescent moon known as 2023 FW13 or 469219 Kamoʻoalewa poses no danger to people on Earth.

Astronomers have discovered a new “quasi-moon” – a space rock that orbits Earth but is gravitationally bound to the Sun. Several candidates for Earth’s second moon have been proposed, but none have been confirmed

What are half moons?

2023 FW13 is a quasi-moon – a subclass of near-Earth asteroids that orbit the Sun but are close to Earth.

The half-moons follow elliptical (not perfectly circular) orbits around the sun, similar to Earth.

It often appears to revolve around the Earth like the Moon, but is actually more gravitationally bound to the Sun than to the Earth.

The quasi-moons, also known as “quasi-satellites,” appear to orbit our planet just like our natural satellite, the Moon (pronounced “Luna”).

But they were given the prefix “semi” because they are more gravitationally bound to the Sun than to the Earth, and not the other way around like Luna.

2023 FW13 differs from our moon in that it orbits well outside Earth’s “mountain sphere”, which is the region around a planetary body where its gravity is the dominant force that attracts satellites.

The radius of the stellar globe is 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers), while 2023 FW13’s radius from Earth is slightly larger – about 1.6 million miles.

“The size of the ring — about 0.18 astronomical units in radius — means that the Earth plays no role in its motion,” said Alan Harris, a senior investigator at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Sky telescope.

“[2023 FW13 is] There is no contact with the earth in any way other than accidental.

Schematic diagram of a typical quasi-satellite orbit. A satellite orbits the sun and a nearby planet – but it is gravitationally bound to the sun, not to the planet.

An online simulator shows the orbit of 2023 FW13 in relation to the satellite, the Sun and the other planets in the solar system.

It was discovered using the Pan-STARRS telescope located over Haleakala, an extinct volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

2023 FW13 was first spotted by PanSTARRS on March 28, and its existence has been confirmed by multiple telescopes.

After confirmation, it became the 2023 FW13 Written by the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Although the size of 2023 FW13 has not been confirmed, asteroid expert Richard Pencill estimates it to be 30 to 50 feet (10 to 15 meters) in diameter.

That’s a tiny fraction of the Moon’s diameter, which is 2,159 miles (although the Moon has its orbital characteristics rather than its size).

2023 FW13’s orbit around the Sun takes about the same time as Earth’s – 365.42 days (1.0005 Earth years).

While completing one circle of Earth in its orbital journey, this orbit is so long that it reaches halfway around Mars and reaches Venus.

Earth has Many well-known cosmic companionsMany of them are quasi-satellites, though there is a chance that more will be discovered in 2023 FW13.

Quasi-satellites tend to follow a “steady” trajectory around the Earth for more than a few decades before finally leaving the planet’s orbit.

He said the 2023 FW13 is special because it will remain unchanged for centuries and will remain so “for many centuries to come”. Amateur astronomer Tony Dunn.

Kamo’oalewa, whose name refers to offspring traveling alone, was discovered in 2016 by the PanSTARRS telescope in Hawaii. It depicts its orbit in relation to the Earth and the Sun

a Online simulation Created by Dunn shows the orbit of 2023 FW13 with respect to the Moon, the Sun, and the other planets in the Solar System.

Another popular quasi-satellite known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa or 2016 HO3 was discovered by PanSTARRS in April 2016.

469219 Kamoʻoalewa is 330 feet in diameter and will remain in orbit for only 300 years into the future, says University of Arizona expert Renu Malhotra.

Malhotra wrote a recent study suggesting that 469,219 Kamoʻoalewa may be an ancient part of our Moon.

Analysis of the light reflected from the space rock suggested it was made of the same material as the minerals found in lunar rocks from NASA’s Apollo missions.

Explanation: the difference between asteroids, meteorites and other space rocks

a asteroid A large rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most of them are located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

a comet Ice is rock covered with methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them far from the solar system.

a meteor Astronomers call this atmospheric glow when debris burns up.

This debris is called meteorites. Most of it is so small that it evaporates into the atmosphere.

If any of these meteorites reach Earth, it will be meteor.

Meteorites, meteoroids, and meteoroids usually consist of asteroids and comets.

For example, if the Earth passed through the tail of a comet, most of the debris would burn up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower.

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