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New 'Moon' Found Around Earth
BBC ^ | September 11, 2002 | Dr David Whitehouse

Posted on 09/11/2002 11:35:35 AM PDT by Cultural Jihad

New 'moon' found around Earth
There could be another one
There could be another one

An amateur astronomer may have found another moon of the Earth. Experts say it may have only just arrived.

Much uncertainty surrounds the mysterious object, designated J002E2. It could be a passing chunk of rock captured by the Earth's gravity, or it could be a discarded rocket casing coming back to our region of space.

It was discovered by Bill Yeung from his observatory in Arizona and reported as a passing Near-Earth Object. It was soon realised however that far from passing us it was in a 50-day orbit around the Earth.

Paul Chodas of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California says it must have just arrived or it would have been easily detected long ago. Calculations suggest it may have been captured earlier this year.

Moon or junk?

When he detected the object Bill Yeung contacted the Minor Planet Centre in Massachusetts, the clearing house for such discoveries, which gave it the designation J002E2 and posted it on their Near-Earth Object Confirmation webpage.

Soon however, its motion suggested it was in an orbit around the Earth. Its movements had all the hallmarks of being a spent rocket casing or other piece of space junk.

But experts are not completely sure what exactly the object is.

Observations made by Tony Beresford in Australia indicate that the object's position does not match any known piece of space junk. Observations made in Europe have failed to see any variations in brightness that might be expected from a slowly spinning metallic object.

Nasa's Paul Chodas says the object must have arrived quite recently or else it would have been easily detected by any of several automated sky surveys that astronomers are conducting.

Its trajectory suggests that it may have been captured in April or May of this year, but there is still some uncertainty about this.

If it is determined that J002E2 is natural it will become Earth's third natural satellite.

Earth's second one is called Cruithne. It was discovered in 1986 and it takes a convoluted horseshoe path around our planet as it is tossed about by the Earth's and the Moon's gravity.

Astronomers, professional and amateur, are carrying out further observations to determine if J002E2 is really another moon of the Earth, or just a piece of space junk.



TOPICS: News/Current Events; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: apollo12; asteroid; astronomy; billyeung; earthcrossers; j002e2; j002e3; minormoon; moon; nearearthobject; paulchodas; science
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To: VadeRetro; PatrickHenry; Physicist; RadioAstronomer; Scully; longshadow; Gumlegs; general_re
Figured y'all might enjoy this ...
21 posted on 09/11/2002 11:53:33 AM PDT by Junior
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To: Cultural Jihad
Scientists overving the new moon found a new book entitled:TO SERVE MAN.Yikes.I am putting on my tinfoil hat and await further instructions.Over and out!
22 posted on 09/11/2002 11:53:54 AM PDT by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: Cultural Jihad
We are being mooned!
23 posted on 09/11/2002 11:54:00 AM PDT by hgro
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To: Cultural Jihad
I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part, but I thought they launched Hildebeasts fat butt into space...
24 posted on 09/11/2002 11:54:07 AM PDT by MD_Willington_1976
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To: Cultural Jihad
Klatu Barata Niktu, Gort.
25 posted on 09/11/2002 11:54:18 AM PDT by Mike Darancette
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To: Cultural Jihad
ping
26 posted on 09/11/2002 11:54:40 AM PDT by Clara Lou
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To: dighton; Inspector Harry Callahan

27 posted on 09/11/2002 11:54:53 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: Cultural Jihad
J002E2

"Space JOO" alert...

28 posted on 09/11/2002 11:55:24 AM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: ALS
Nice applets he designed on that page. Thanks for the link.
29 posted on 09/11/2002 11:55:44 AM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: tophat9000
re: universe "mooning" us...

Actually, it's worse:
Cosmic Finger

Look at the upper left corner. And, BTW, it appears that the universe is "left handed".

30 posted on 09/11/2002 11:56:06 AM PDT by MrB
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To: dead
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!
31 posted on 09/11/2002 11:56:21 AM PDT by Dog
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To: hgro
There was a total of seven (7) new Moons found!

COSMIC MYSTERY MOONS

32 posted on 09/11/2002 11:56:53 AM PDT by stlrocket
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To: Arthur McGowan
Pleased to meet you,
Joo2E2
Your name sounds much like
Hirohitu
33 posted on 09/11/2002 11:57:51 AM PDT by babble-on
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To: Xenon481
Thought you'd appreciate this.
34 posted on 09/11/2002 11:58:12 AM PDT by sparkydragon
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To: Cultural Jihad
object's position does not match any known piece of space junk.

Scan it for life forms, get ready with the shields and torpedoes.

35 posted on 09/11/2002 11:58:52 AM PDT by Tom Bombadil
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To: lexington minuteman 1775
Where's Rod Sterling's appropriate theme music?
36 posted on 09/11/2002 12:00:50 PM PDT by Frumious Bandersnatch
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To: ALS
I don't understand how Cruithne could be considered Earth's 'second moon' though. From the link you provided it orbits the sun and just passes through Earth's orbit
37 posted on 09/11/2002 12:01:02 PM PDT by billbears
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To: Cultural Jihad
Fithp?
38 posted on 09/11/2002 12:03:00 PM PDT by robertpaulsen
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To: Dog
Arrived from where???

Somewhere else.

39 posted on 09/11/2002 12:05:11 PM PDT by Junior
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To: stayout
Cruithne is just another asteroid, but happens to be locked in an orbital resonance with earth. It would be a great place for a scientific base of some kind and could even be mined for aluminum if Alcoa is interested. Its orbit relative to earth is really strange.
40 posted on 09/11/2002 12:06:33 PM PDT by RightWhale
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