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Does the Earth have a second moon? This satellite has been flying around with us for 2,000 years
This spring, astronomers spotted asteroid 2023 FW13 near Earth. It turned out to be a quasi-satellite: a piece of rock that has been orbiting the Sun in tandem with the Earth for thousands of years.
Earth is depicted as a solitary planet. Year after year it orbits the Sun only accompanied by the Moon. However, this image is not entirely true. Sometimes small astronomical objects appear near our globe, which move around the Sun almost evenly with it.
What is a newly discovered satellite?
Such a companion of the Earth was spotted by astronomers at the end of March this year. The newly discovered asteroid was named 2023 FW13. It is not large — its diameter is estimated at 15 meters. For comparison, the diameter of the Moon is 3474 kilometers.
Formally, 2023 FW13 was considered a quasi-moon (or quasi-satellite). This means that the object orbits the Sun in Earth-like time and remains close to our planet. However, it is hardly gravitationally bound to it. The greater influence on 2023 FW13 is exerted by the Sun.
Julius Caesar’s birth sign?
The new quasi-satellite — like other objects of its kind — accompanies the Earth…
