Researchers from Tsinghua University in China were able to reveal the origin of one of the interesting celestial bodies that inhabit the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, namely the asteroid “469219 Kamu Oliwa”, known as metaphorically the Earth’s second moon, or moon-like.
And in the study Published in the journal “Nature Astronomy”, the researchers discussed the spectroscopy method of light emitted from the surface of the asteroid “Kamu Oliwa”, and the results revealed that there is an abundance of silicates, which are the most bigger, more complex and more complicated. common types of minerals on the moon. This raises the theory that this asteroid may have come from Earth’s moon at some point in the past.
The research team used computer simulation models to test the validity of their theory. the surface. Beyond the moon.
AndHe said Astronomer Dr Darren Paskill (who did not take part in the study) said in an interview with BBC Fox: “By simply looking with the naked eye or through binoculars, it is possible to determine the time the moon was gone, as was everyone. a crack we can see on the surface Fragments of rock were ejected into space after the crash.”
He said that most of the “stones” of these fragments fall back to the moon due to their gravity, but some escape the moon’s grip. and moving in space, and some of these pieces fall to the Earth. Next time, if you see a meteor, remember that it could come from the moon.
As for the asteroid “Kamu Oliwa”, the fact that it is still present indicates that it was the result of a recent accident. Scientists believe that if the impact had occurred earlier, it would have been slowly pulled away from Earth’s orbit by the gravity of other planets, or it would have been destroyed by an asteroid impact. another.
According to computer simulations, the size of the crater created by the asteroid “Kamu Oliwa” should reach between 10 and 20 kilometers in diameter, and its age is not more than a few million years. By looking at the surface of the moon and comparing the cracks with the results of the study, a crack called “Giordano Bruno” matches the characteristics of the impact site.
Asteroids are dry, rocky bodies that move in orbits similar to the planets. (Wikipedia)
Kamo Oliwa … the second moon of Earth
What scientists know so far about the Kamo Oliwa asteroid is only results from observations from Earth, and the asteroid will be the target of the Chinese “Tianwen 2” mission in 2025, in which scientists will aim to to confirm their findings.
Pasquel points out that the claims that “Kamu Oliwa” represents a second moon of Earth are rejected because the asteroid has no direct impact on Earth, unlike the many moons associated with other planets. such as Jupiter and Saturn, where the effect is clear and obvious in terms of the strength of gravity.
The introduction of Kamo Oliwa as a second Earth satellite will challenge scientists to add thousands of other asteroids that also orbit the Earth and are called “near-Earth objects, ” whose number is between 30,000 and 200,000 asteroids.
