Scientists have spotted a small asteroid that may circle Earth as a mini moon before shifting onto a path that could make it a hazard later in the century.
The asteroid, known as 2022 RD2, belongs to a rare class of space rocks called Arjunas. These objects travel around the sun on orbits that closely match Earth’s and sometimes drift near the planet at unusually low speeds. That sluggish pace can allow Earth’s gravity to trap them for a short time, creating what researchers call mini moons.
NASA has calculated the asteroid’s orbit and placed it on its risk list for potential impacts, though the agency’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has reached somewhat different conclusions about the asteroid’s future trajectory.
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