SOAR Telescope discovered an asteroid that rotates the same orbit as our planet Earth. Amusingly, it was expected to be stranded for at least the next few thousands of years.
Since asteroids have been a hot topic these days, there are two ways to watch them freely.
SOAR Telescope Discovers An Asteroid Rotating On The Same Earth Orbit, Is It Dangerous?
According to research through Space.com, our planet Earth is being followed by an asteroid measuring less than a kilometer wide in its orbit around the sun, adding that this was the second time such a thing has been discovered.
The said trailing asteroid, referred as 2020 XL5, was first discovered in Dec. 2020 by Pan-STARRS telescopes on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Despite the fact that it was discovered last 2020, more observations with the 4.1-metre Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope in Chile provided a huge help in determining its orbit.
NOIR Lab reported that the SOAR Telescope is one of the most advanced research facilities accessible to astronomers in the southern hemisphere, generating the greatest photo quality at wavelengths ranging from optical to near-infrared and providing imaging and spectroscopic capabilities at the same time.
To further emphasize the said trailing asteroid, a team headed by planetary scientist Toni Santana-Ros of the University of Alicante in Spain has determined that 2020 XL5 will be stranded in an orbit around one of the sun-Earth "Lagrange points" for at least the next few thousands of years.
This only mean that while the Earth orbits the sun, the space object keeps up with it.
Aside from the fact that this asteroid is referred as 2020 XL5, it is also called as a Trojan partner to the Earth in comparison with Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
In addition to this, SOAR observations discovered that 2020 XL5 appears to be a carbon-rich asteroid (called C-type).
Santana-Ros also added that the orbit of 2020 XL5 bounces in front and behind Earth's orbital plane. This implies that maneuvering a spaceship into a rendezvous would need a significant change in velocity. That would very certainly need much too much gasoline to be feasible.
2 Ways To Watch An Asteroid
Since numerous asteroids have been passing through our planet, it is worth noting that curious people might be able to watch some of these encounters.
The Virtual Telescope and NASA Eyes on Asteroid are just two of the several ways to witness the passing of asteroids.
2. The Virtual Telescope
The Virtual Telescope Project is a high-tech program offered by PhD of the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy Dr. Gianluca Masi. This project composes of multiple robotic observatories that are directly accessible in real-time through the Internet for both study and entertainment.
Amusingly, this virtual telescope is open to the public, explaining that despite the fact that it is a high-tech equipment, the system is simple to use.
Majority of the services provided are free of charge, however some unique activities do demand a little charitable donations.
Keep in mind that this is not a commercial activity, it just allows the project to keep going.
1. NASA Eyes Website
This interactive visualization combines information from NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office and JPL's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), that calculates high-precision trajectories for NEOs in support of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
To access the said site, head to this link.
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