An Asteroid Totally Just Mooned Earth

That's no moon. It's a .... , oh sorry it's a Moon.

The Moon is in orbit around asteroid 2020 BX12 which last week made its closest pass of the Earth giving astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory a chance to snap a couple of pics of the 1,476 foot asteroid and its side kick.


2020 BX12 is due back in two years but at a greater distance than its recent 2.7 million mile mooning pass.

As it passed, and continued to move away, astronomers at Arecibo Observatory's Planetary Radar Science Group in Puerto Rico took 2020 BX12's photo. And they noticed it wasn't alone.

The asteroid has its very own moon - a tiny little thing just 70 metres (230 feet) across.

"Preliminary analysis suggests that the primary asteroid is a round object at least 165 metres in diameter rotating approximately once every 2.8 hours or less," they wrote in an announcement.

"The satellite has a diameter of approximately 70 metres and rotates once every 49 hours or less. The distance between the two bodies is at least 360 metres, as observed on February 5.
www.sciencealert.com...

a reply to: gortex

⭐️ 🇺🇸

originally posted by: gortex
That's no moon. It's a .... , oh sorry it's a Moon.

The Moon is in orbit around asteroid 2020 BX12 which last week made its closest pass of the Earth giving astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory a chance to snap a couple of pics of the 1,476 foot asteroid and its side kick.

2020 BX12 is due back in two years but at a greater distance than its recent 2.7 million mile mooning pass.

As it passed, and continued to move away, astronomers at Arecibo Observatory's Planetary Radar Science Group in Puerto Rico took 2020 BX12's photo. And they noticed it wasn't alone.

The asteroid has its very own moon - a tiny little thing just 70 metres (230 feet) across.

"Preliminary analysis suggests that the primary asteroid is a round object at least 165 metres in diameter rotating approximately once every 2.8 hours or less," they wrote in an announcement.

"The satellite has a diameter of approximately 70 metres and rotates once every 49 hours or less. The distance between the two bodies is at least 360 metres, as observed on February 5.
www.sciencealert.com...

Just the place to start up a petrol station then!

Did they find this kid on it? Looks like his moon to me.

a reply to: gortex

Moon shot

thumb-p8.xhcdn.com...

Not sure where to put this, but I hope someone sees this>>>


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