As per news reports in September 2020, a study, published on CNN website by Dr Paul Chodas of NASA’s Centre for Near Earth Objects Studies (CNEOS), states that a new mini-moon, named as ‘2020 SO’, is all set to zoom past nearest to the Earth on December 1st, 2020 at a distance of 50,000 kilometres and on February 2nd, 2021 at a distance of 2,20,000 kilometres. The study further says that the new moon may remain in its proximity from October 2020 to November 2021 due to the Earth’s gravity. Many astronomers, however, believe it to come near the orbit in November. It is touted to be the size of 20-feet to 45-feet, which will seemingly pass by the Earth’s Moon at a slow speed of 3,025 km/hr, which is quite slow as compared to any ordinary asteroid’s pace.
The mini moon has been classified as an Apollo asteroid in ‘JPL small body database’. As per Dr Paul, this space object is not any ordinary heavenly body but it may be a lost rocket, launched somewhere in the 1960s. It is also perceived to be an artificial object, which orbits around the Sun in 1.06 years. It is also expected to be a lost man-made object in the space because of its slower velocity, orbiting period, and the size of the new moon, which is reasonably similar to that of the lost rocket. The new mini moon was found approaching towards the Earth on September 17, 2020 through a 71-inch Pan-STARRS1 telescope at Maui in Hawaii.
Astronomers are of the view that a rocket launcher had been lost 50 years ago, which was a rocket booster of ‘Surveyor-2’, which was launched on September 20th,1966. It was a lunar lander mission, which was launched in the space to explore the Moon. Unfortunately, the mission failed after its launch due to a blast in the spacecraft and it crashed on the Moon’s Copernicus crater, as shown on EarthSky website.
The researchers also claim to study whether ‘2020 SO’ is an asteroid or an artificial object on the basis of the effect of sunlight. Its motion is also being determined on the basis of the effect of sunlight, because if it is a rocket-body, then sunlight pressure will bring a big change in its motion due to less density it poses. If it is proved, it would certainly substantiate the astronomers’ predictions.
Courtesy: Indian Express