Earth's fake Moon? This 'quasi-moon' has circled Earth since at least 100 BC, and will continue to do so

Astronomers have discovered a "quasi-moon" — an asteroid that orbits the Earth but is actually gravitationally bound by the Sun. It is called 2023 FW13 and was spotted recently, causing a stir among space enthusiasts.

Expertsused the Pan-STARRS telescope at the top of the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii to observe the space rock which has been labelled a quasi-moon.

Sky and Telescope's report has mentioned that experts believe that it has been orbiting Earth since 100 BC and will continue to do so for at least another 1,500 years.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

If all calculations are correct (or close to correct) then 2023 FW13 would be the most stable Earth-like quasi-satellite ever discovered.

What arequasi-moons?

Quasi-moons are also known as 'quasi-satellites' because they appear to orbit our planet in the same way that our natural satellite, the Moon.

The discovery of the 2023 FW13 is nothing new, as a famous object, known as 469219 Kamooalewa, was discovered in 2016. At that time, it was thought to be the tiniest, closest, and most stable known quasi-satellite.

The Pan-STARRS observatory first noticed the asteroid on March 28. The discovery was officially revealed on April 1, following additional observations from the Canada France Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, as well as observatories on Kitt Peak and Mount Lemmon.

As quoted by the report, Adrien Coffinet, a French astronomer and journalist, said, "When I saw the announcement, the very Earth-like semimajor axis looked suspicious to me."Coffinet, is a French astronomer and journalist and was the first to identify the nature of the quasi-Moon's orbit.

Meanwhile, Alan Harris (Space Science Institute) told Sky & Telescope that, while 2023 FW13 does indeed circle Earth but according to him the "dimension of the loop (about .18 astronomical unit in radius) is so large that Earth plays essentially no role in its motion".

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.