A tiny chip of rock that may have come from the Moon suggests that more Near-Earth Asteroids with lunar histories may be lurking out there.
The orbit of Near Earth Asteroid 2024 PT5. This asteroid may have once been part of the Moon. Courtesy NASA.last year may have an intriguing origin on our Moon. Its characteristics led scientists to ask: is it a chip off the old lunar block, making a pass by Earth for a visit?
Planetary scientists have long studied Near-Earth objects and NEAs to understand their origins. One way to do that is to determine a relationship between their current orbits, properties, and sources, One such origin is the Main Asteroid Belt, but it’s not the only place where asteroids emerge. Each object is a special case, and scientists compare them with known meteorites. Of course, you need some data about the object’s physical characteristics—including its reflectance and albedo.
If only one existed, we could say it’s a space oddity. However, the presence of two such objects changes the story. It also suggests that there’s a whole population out there waiting to be observed.So, let’s say there is this collection of lunar chunks floating around out there. They can give insight into how impacts affect the Moon or other bodies such as Earth and Mars.
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