By: April Carson
Blurry new photos of a mountain-sized "planet killer" asteroid that recently made its closest approach to Earth in more than a century have revealed a surprising new feature of the gigantic space rock — it has a secret minimoon.
The Asteroid 2011 UL21
Asteroid 2011 UL21 is classified as a potentially hazardous near-Earth object. Initially estimated to be between 1.1 and 2.4 miles (1.7 to 3.9 kilometers) wide, this makes it larger than 99% of near-Earth asteroids. Due to its massive size, it could potentially wipe out an entire continent and cause devastating climate changes on a global scale, earning it the ominous moniker of a "planet killer." Fortunately, it is not predicted to collide with Earth in the foreseeable future.
A Historic Close Approach
On June 27, 2011 UL21 made its closest approach to Earth in at least 110 years, speeding past our planet at more than 58,000 mph (93,000 km/h). The giant space rock reached a minimum distance of approximately 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers) from Earth — about 17 times the distance to the moon. This flyby places it among the 10 largest asteroids to pass this close to Earth since 1900, according to astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy.
Discovery of a Minimoon
Scientists at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California monitored this historic flyby using the Goldstone Solar System Radar telescope. The team captured grainy "bistatic" images of the gigantic rock by bouncing radio waves off its surface, revealing two significant findings:
- Size Adjustment: The asteroid is probably only around 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, which is smaller than previously estimated.
- Minimoon Discovery: A second, smaller asteroid was found orbiting 2011 UL21.
Additional Observations
Two days later, on June 29, the same telescope captured images of the pyramid-sized asteroid 2024 MK as it passed closer to Earth than the moon. These pictures revealed that the recently discovered space rock was knocked off course by the close encounter. The minimoon, which has not yet been named, is what researchers call a small-body satellite — an asteroid that orbits another larger asteroid or dwarf planet. Although the exact size of this new space rock is unclear, it is significantly smaller than 2011 UL21.
Binary System Formation
The two asteroids form what is known as a binary system, separated by a distance of around 1.9 miles (3 km), according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Small-body satellites are the most common types of natural satellites in the solar system, especially around asteroids of this size.
The discovery of a minimoon orbiting the "planet killer" asteroid 2011 UL21 is a fascinating reminder of the dynamic and complex nature of our solar system. As scientists continue to monitor these celestial bodies, each new discovery provides valuable insights into the behavior and characteristics of near-Earth objects, enhancing our understanding and preparedness for potential future encounters.
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