Page 12 - aruba-today-20201012

A12 SCIENCE
Monday 12 october 2020
Fake asteroid? NASA expert IDs mystery object as old rocket

together with an actual
known launch."
And he's happy to note
that it's a mission that he
followed in 1966, as a teen-
ager in Canada.
Asteroid hunter Carrie Nu-
gent of Olin College of
Engineering in Needham,
Massachusetts, said Cho-
das' conclusion is "a good
one" based on solid evi-
dence. She's the author
of the 2017 book "Asteroid
Hunters."
"Some more data would
be useful so we can know
for sure," she said in an
email. "Asteroid hunters
from around the world will
continue to watch this ob-
ject to get that data. I'm
excited to see how this de-
velops!"
The Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics'
Jonathan McDowell noted
there have been "many,
many embarrassing inci-
dents of objects in deep
orbit ... getting provisional
asteroid designations for a
few days before it was real-
This Sept. 20, 1966 photo provided by the San Diego Air and Space Museum shows an Atlas Centaur 7 rocket on the launchpad at ized they were artificial."It's
Cape Canaveral, Fla. seldom clear-cut.
Associated Press Last year, a British amateur
astronomer, Nick Howes,
By MARCIA DUNN ter one of its thrusters failed usual for an asteroid. there, but their motions are announced that an aster-
AP Aerospace Writer to ignite on the way there. "Flag number one," said too imprecise or jumbled to oid in solar orbit was like-
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) The rocket, meanwhile, Chodas, who is director of confirm their artificial iden- ly the abandoned lunar
— The jig may be up for an swept past the moon and the Center for Near-Earth tity, said Chodas. module from NASA's Apollo
"asteroid" that's expected into orbit around the sun as Object Studies at NASA's Sometimes it's the other 10, a rehearsal for the Apol-
to get nabbed by Earth's intended junk, never to be Jet Propulsion Laboratory in way around. lo 11 moon landing. While
gravity and become a mini seen again — until perhaps Southern California. A mystery object in 1991, this object is likely artificial,
moon next month. now. The object is also in the for example, was deter- Chodas and others are
Instead of a cosmic rock, A telescope in Hawaii last same plane as Earth, not tilt- mined by Chodas and oth- skeptical of the connec-
the newly discovered ob- month discovered the mys- ed above or below, anoth- ers to be a regular asteroid tion.
ject appears to be an old tery object heading our er red flag. Asteroids usually rather than debris, even Skepticism is good, Howes
rocket from a failed moon- way while doing a search zip by at odd angles. Lastly, though its orbit around the wrote in an email. "It hope-
landing mission 54 years intended to protect our it's approaching Earth at sun resembled Earth's. fully will lead to more obser-
ago that's finally making its planet from doomsday 1,500 mph (2,400 kph), slow Even more exciting, Cho- vations when it's next in our
way back home, accord- rocks. The object promptly by asteroid standards. das in 2002 found what neck of the woods" in the
ing to NASA's leading as- was added to the Interna- As the object gets closer, he believes was the left- late 2030s.
teroid expert. Observations tional Astronomical Union's astronomers should be over Saturn V third stage Chodas' latest target of in-
should help nail its identity. Minor Planet Center's tally able to better chart its orbit from 1969's Apollo 12, the terest was passed by Earth
"I'm pretty jazzed about of asteroids and comets and determine how much second moon landing by in their respective laps
this," Paul Chodas told The found in our solar system, it's pushed around by the NASA astronauts. He ac- around the sun in 1984 and
Associated Press. "It's been just 5,000 shy of the 1 million radiation and thermal ef- knowledges the evidence 2002. But it was too dim to
a hobby of mine to find one mark. fects of sunlight. If it's an was circumstantial, given see from 5 million miles (8
of these and draw such a The object is estimated to old Centaur — essentially the object's chaotic one- million kilometers) away, he
link, and I've been doing it be roughly 26 feet (8 me- a light empty can — it will year orbit around Earth. It said.
for decades now." ters) based on its bright- move differently than a never was designated as He predicts the object will
Chodas speculates that ness. That's in the ballpark heavy space rock less sus- an asteroid, and left Earth's spend about four months
asteroid 2020 SO, as it is of the old Centaur, which ceptible to outside forces. orbit in 2003. circling Earth once it's cap-
formally known, is actually would be less than 32 feet That's how astronomers The latest object's route is tured in mid-November,
the Centaur upper rock- (10 meters) long including normally differentiate be- direct and much more sta- before shooting back out
et stage that successfully its engine nozzle and 10 tween asteroids and space ble, bolstering his theory. into its own orbit around
propelled NASA's Surveyor feet (3 meters) in diameter. junk like abandoned rocket "I could be wrong on this. I the sun next March.
2 lander to the moon in What caught Chodas' at- parts, since both appear don't want to appear over- Chodas doubts the object
1966 before it was discard- tention is that its near-cir- merely as moving dots in ly confident," Chodas said. will slam into Earth — "at
ed. The lander ended up cular orbit around the sun is the sky. There likely are doz- "But it's the first time, in my least not this time around."
crashing into the moon af- quite similar to Earth's — un- ens of fake asteroids out view, that all the pieces fit q