Kamoalewa near the Earth-Moon system. (Image credit: Addie Graham/University of Arizona)
Astronomers have found more evidence of an asteroid Near the Earth is a cut-off piece of the Moon. Asteroid Kamo’oalewa — a Hawaiian name meaning “wobbly bit” — is a wheel-sized chunk of rock that orbits 9 million miles (14.4 million kilometers) from Earth every April.
Since the discovery of the object in 2016, scientists have puzzled over the origin of the strange rock and were surprised when a 2021 analysis revealed that Kamwalewa’s composition is Similar to that of the moon.
Now, a new study, published October 23 in the journal Earth and Environment Communications It describes one possible way in which an ancient asteroid impact could have dislodged the space rock into its current orbit, and suggests that there may be more pieces of the Moon floating around the solar system.
“We have now proven that the Moon is the most likely source of kamualewa.” said the lead author Renu Malhotraa scientist at the University of Arizona.
Two unusual orbital features attracted astronomers to investigate Kamo’oalewa. First, as a “semi-satellite” of Earth, it is so close to our planet that it appears to orbit it, even though its actual orbital partner is the sun. Second, the asteroid is expected to orbit Earth for millions of years, while many near-Earth objects only exist for decades.
These anomalies prompted astronomers to take action Analysis of asteroid spectra in 2021. They found that light emitted and absorbed by Kamualoa indicated that the asteroid was likely made of lunar rock.
“We only looked at Kamualoa’s spectrum because it was in an unusual orbit,” Malhotra said. “If it had been a typical near-Earth asteroid, no one would have thought to find its spectrum, and we wouldn’t have known that Kamualoa could be part of the moon.”
By simulating the impacts of asteroids on the Moon and the gravitational forces that would eject the pieces, the researchers found a small chance that some of the rocks would end up in near-Earth orbits. Before making the calculations, astronomers expected that most of the ejected lunar material would either land back on the Moon or fall as rain on Earth.
The researchers said their findings could give them a better understanding One of the dangerous near-Earth asteroids. Their next steps will be to understand the conditions that could have propelled the rock into its orbit and find out exactly when the collision occurred.
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