Location and topography of the lunar crater Giordano Bruno. The image on the left is a map of the far side of the Moon using Lunar Quick Map. The image on the right is a topographic map of GB Crater from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) data. Credit: natural astronomy (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-024-02258-z
A small international team of planetary scientists has found evidence supporting the theory that the near-Earth asteroid Kamaoaleva is a lunar ejecta.In their papers published in journals natural astronomy, The team describes their data-driven model and what they revealed.
Asteroid Kamo’oalewa was discovered in 2016 as part of an international effort to find asteroids that could hit Earth. It was determined that the asteroid’s orbit around the sun was synchronized with the Earth’s, making it appear as if it was orbiting the Earth. It is estimated to be 40 to 100 meters in diameter and is spinning very quickly for an asteroid.
Then, in 2021, another team found evidence that Kamo’Aleva’s composition is similar to rocks found on the moon, suggesting it may have originated from the moon. To investigate, researchers conducted extensive studies of the asteroid and its possible origin from the moon.
The team first created a computer model to simulate the type of collision that could result in Kamaualeva-sized fragments of the moon’s surface being flung into space. By doing this, they were able to estimate the likely size of the asteroid that hit the moon and, from that, the size of the crater it left behind.
The researchers also pointed out that such an impact must have occurred recently, which narrows the possibility of an impact crater. They then compared samples of lunar material brought back to Earth that were found near a crater most likely Giordano Bruno. They found spectral similarities between these samples and the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, and they also found that both contained small amounts of the mineral pyroxene.
The team then used their data to make some estimates and found that an asteroid colliding with the moon at the current location of Giordano Bruno Crater could have ejected a Kamaoaleva-sized piece of debris into space. They suggest that further missions to study the moon could provide more information, possibly further solidifying the idea of Kamoa’Aleva as part of the moon.
More information:
Jiao Yifei and others, the 1:1 resonance of the asteroid Kamo’oalewa’s journey from the Giordano Bruno Crater on the Moon to the Earth, natural astronomy (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-024-02258-z
2024 Science X Network
citation: Computer model helps support theory of asteroid Kamo’oalewa acting as lunar ejecta (2024, April 22), Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://phys.org/news/2024-04- theory-asteroid-kamooalewa-ejecta-moon .html
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