There is an asteroid approaching earth! chillout, keep calm & sip your tea, it’s not the end of the world. 2020 SO is a small near-Earth asteroid or artificial object discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 study at the Haleakala Observatory on September 17, 2020. It is currently approaching Earth and its trajectory indicates that it will be temporarily captured by Earth on October 15, 2020.
NASA asteroid expert Paul Chodas has discovered something very interesting about an asteroid that was expected to get stuck in orbit around Earth next month. It turns out that the asteroid is not an asteroid at all. Rather, think of it as an old rocket from a failed moon landing decades ago. That failed mission happened 54 years ago, and the rocket just returned to Earth.
Scientists believe they will be able to identify the rocket that links it to a specific mission in future observations. Chodas speculates that asteroid 2020 SO is the upper stage of the Centar rocket that propelled NASA’s Surveyor 2 to the moon in 1966. The upper stage rocket was discarded and the lander itself crashed on the moon when a thruster did not turn on.
The upper stage rocket was supposed to fly past the moon and end up in orbit around the sun. The object was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii tasked with looking for asteroids that could damage Earth. Scientists estimate the object to be about 26 feet long based on brightness, found in the stage of the Centaur rocket.
Chodas says what caught his attention is that the object is in a nearly circular orbit around the sun, which is unusual for an asteroid. That is the first thing that strikes you. The object is also in the same plane as Earth rather than tilted up or down, which is the second alert. Point out that the asteroid typically passes the earth at odd angles. It also says that the object is approaching Earth at 1500 mph, which is slow for an asteroid.
As it gets closer, astronomers will be able to chart its orbit and determine how much it is pushed by radiation and its thermal effects from the sun. If it’s an old rocket, it will move differently than a massive asteroid, which is less susceptible to those external forces. Chodas notes that there are dozens of objects that may not be asteroids, but the movements are too imprecise or confusing to confirm their identity.
Hopefully his beliefs come out correct, as 2020 has not been a year to be taken lightly.
