<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Saturday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-advances-asteroid-tracking-space-telescope-after-years-of-limbo-2021-6">NASA</a> plans to launch its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/osiris-rex-spacecraft-asteroids-trojan-2016-12">Lucy</a> probe to the Trojan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/asteroid-hit-ancient-middle-eastern-city-inspired-sodom-bible-story-2021-9">asteroids</a> that orbit the sun with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-years-of-stunning-jupiter-photos-nasa-juno-mission-2021-9">Jupiter</a>. </li><li>The Trojans are like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fossil-footprints-humans-occupied-north-america-ice-age-2021-9">fossils</a>, unchanged since the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-animation-reveals-planets-wildly-different-speeds-2021-8">solar system</a> was born 4.6 billion years ago.</li><li><keyword id="12264053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lucy" source="Orion">Lucy</keyword> aims to visit eight <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-asteroid-simulation-reveals-need-years-of-warning-2021-5">asteroids</a> - a record number of encounters.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hubble-space-telescope-wind-changes-jupiter-great-red-spot-2021-9">NASA</a> is about to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-launching-film-crew-to-space-station-2021-9">launch</a> an ambitious mission to explore swarms of <keyword id="12253294" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asteroids" source="Orion">asteroids</keyword> as old as our <keyword id="11910185" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="solar-system" source="Orion">solar system</keyword>.</p><p>Those asteroids, called Trojans, orbit the sun alongside <keyword id="11949137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jupiter" source="Orion">Jupiter</keyword>. One group of them leads the gas giant along its orbital path, and another group trails behind. These space rocks formed during the birth of our solar system nearly 4.6 billion years ago and have remained largely unchanged ever since.</p><div type="image" title="atlas v rocket lifting off" height="1920" width="1279" msid="87050188" hostid="261"></div><p>Scientists want to find out what those time capsules hold, so <keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nasa" source="Orion">NASA</keyword> is sending a 52-foot-wide spacecraft, called Lucy, to investigate. The probe is set to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday morning.</p><p>Lucy is scheduled to visit eight asteroids over the next 12 years. One of those space rocks is in the solar system's main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, which Lucy will pass on its way to the other seven asteroids, which are part of the Trojans.</p><p>"These objects we view as being the fossils of planet formation," Hal Levison, the mission's principal investigator, said in a briefing last month.</p><div type="image" title="animated diagram of trojan asteroid leading following jupiter on orbit around the sun" height="500" width="500" msid="86839250" hostid="261"></div><p>That's where Lucy gets its name - it's a reference to the famous 3.2-million-year-old fossilized human ancestor. At the time of her discovery, in 1974, Lucy was the oldest, most complete hominin skeleton ever found. She was evidence that human ancestors walked upright, which helped paleoanthropologists piece together humans' evolutionary history. Scientists hope that <keyword id="12264054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trojan-asteroids" source="Orion">Trojan asteroids</keyword> can do the same for the outer solar system.</p><p>"Some of the most important planetary <keyword id="11896083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="science" source="Orion">science</keyword> questions we're trying to answer are focused on the origin and the evolution of the solar system. Asteroids and other small bodies are really important keys to understanding that history," Lori Glaze, NASA's director of planetary science, said in the briefing.</p><div type="image" title="lucy spacecraft folded up with rocket shell closing around it" height="2136" width="1700" msid="86839251" hostid="261"></div><p>Lucy's planned journey would lead it to visit more asteroids than any prior spacecraft. It will also venture further from the sun than any solar-powered probe has ever gone.</p><h2>Watch live as Lucy launches into space</h2><p>Liftoff is scheduled for 5:34 a.m. ET on Saturday. NASA plans to start its live launch broadcast at 5 a.m. in the video embedded below.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/21X5lGlDOfg" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>If weather delays the launch, NASA has another 22 days in its window, with an hour-long launch opportunity each morning.</p><h2>Close encounters of the asteroid kind</h2><div type="image" title="trojan asteroids illustration rocks in space leading and following jupiter" height="1440" width="1920" msid="86839252" hostid="261"></div><p>Lucy's mission is seven years in the making. The original plan called for visits to just two asteroids, but NASA grew more ambitious as engineers and scientists designed the spacecraft and plotted its journey.</p><p>Now, the probe has a record-breaking lineup. Some of its eight stops are two-for-ones: One asteroid has its own satellite - a smaller rock trapped in its orbit - and two of Lucy's targets are a pair of binary asteroids that circle each other.</p><p>But Lucy's encounter with each space rock will be brief. The spacecraft can't slow down or land - that would require too much propellant - so it will zip within 600 miles of their surfaces, moving 3 to five 5 miles per second.</p><p>During the few hours in which it approaches and passes the asteroids, Lucy's scientific instruments will collect data on their composition, density, and size. It could even discover rocks or rings circling the asteroids - features too small to see from Earth.</p><p>By the end of Lucy's journey, NASA expects to have spent $981.1 million on the mission, according to Glaze.</p><h2>Lucy has to revisit Earth 3 times to hit its targets</h2><div type="image" title="lucy spacecraft trajectory diagram" height="2813" width="3750" msid="86839253" hostid="261"></div><p>Scientists have identified over 7,000 Trojan asteroids, split into three major types. One group resembles the space rocks in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, while the other two resemble icy objects in the Kuiper Belt on the outskirts of the solar system.</p><p>This suggests that the various types of Trojans formed through different processes, and in different parts of the solar system. Scientists aren't sure how they ended up together along Jupiter's orbit. So Lucy will visit asteroids of each type in an attempt to find out.</p><p>"Covering this diversity is key. And finding a trajectory that actually will allow us to visit all these types of objects has been a real chore," Levison said.</p><p>To reach all of its destinations, in fact, Lucy has to circle back to Earth three times to get a momentum boost from our planet's gravity. That will make it the first spacecraft to travel to Jupiter's orbit and back.</p><h2>NASA is going all in on asteroids</h2><div type="image" title="DART nasa mission approaching asteroid image edited for thumbnail" height="1406" width="2500" msid="86839254" hostid="261"></div><p>NASA is sending probes to asteroids scattered all over the solar system.</p><p>"Lucy is part of a collection of ambitious missions to study the diversity of these asteroid populations that will help us fill in more pieces of that cosmic puzzle," Glaze said.</p><p>NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has been studying asteroids and other objects in the Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune, since it flew past Pluto in 2015.</p><p>The agency's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-asteroid-bennu-is-hollow-spinning-to-death-2020-11">OSIRIS-REx</a> spacecraft, meanwhile, landed on an asteroid last year, punched into its surface, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-spacecraft-stored-pounds-of-rock-2020-10">scooped a sample of rock</a>. That probe is on its way back to Earth with the sample in tow. Japan recently completed a similar mission and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-japan-asteroid-sample-treasure-box-returns-2020-12">brought its own asteroid samples to Earth</a>, so NASA and Japan's space agency plan to trade bits of their samples.</p><div type="image" title="osiris rex landing crush rock" height="1024" width="1024" msid="86839255" hostid="261"></div><p>Other missions aim to prepare for the possibility that an asteroid could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dinosaurs-going-extinct-before-asteroid-hit-earth-study-2021-6">strike our planet</a>. Next month, NASA plans to launch a spacecraft to slam into a nearby asteroid. That mission, called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), is testing a method that could deflect space rocks off of a collision course with Earth. NASA is also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-advances-asteroid-tracking-space-telescope-after-years-of-limbo-2021-6">working on a new space telescope, called NEO (near-Earth object) Surveyor,</a> which would help scientists catalogue dangerous asteroids in our neighborhood.</p><p>Next year, NASA plans to launch yet another probe, called Psyche, to a metallic asteroid that could be the leftover core of an ancient planet.</p><p>"All of these are incredibly interesting destinations. And in each case, we're exploring places no spacecraft has ever been, so we won't know for sure what we'll discover till we get there," Glaze said. "But we know that whatever Lucy finds will give us vital clues about the formation of our solar system."</p><p><em>This post has been updated. It was originally published on October 7, 2021.</em></p>

Watch NASA launch a spacecraft to explore ancient asteroids that lead and trail Jupiter around the sun

<ul><li><keyword id="6360409" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasa" source="Orion">NASA</keyword>’s Lucy spacecraft will launch on October 16 for a 12-year journey to Jupiter.</li><li>The mission is to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids and learn more about how the solar system formed.</li><li>This will be the first spacecraft to fly to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids.</li></ul>NASA is readying its Lucy mission that is scheduled to take off on October 16 next week. This will be the first spacecraft to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, and also the first to examine multiple independent solar system targets. The Lucy mission is a 12-year journey making it NASA’s longest mission so far. <br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to watch NASA’s Lucy mission" comment="subhead" text="How to watch NASA’s Lucy mission"><span data-til="noop">How to watch NASA’s Lucy mission</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />Lucy is scheduled to launch from earth on October 16 next week. It will launch aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket. The lift-off is scheduled for 2:34 am PT which would be 3:04 pm IST for Indian viewers. You can catch the livestream on NASA TV through this link.<br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What are Trojan asteroids?" comment="subhead" text="What are Trojan asteroids?"><span data-til="noop">What are Trojan asteroids?</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />Trojan asteroids are named after characters from Greek mythology. These are mostly asteroids that are leftover from the formation of the solar system. According to NASA, these Trojan asteroids circle the sun in two swarms where one precedes and the other follows Jupiter in its orbit of the sun. These asteroids are described as clusters of rock grains and exotic ices that didn’t become planets when the solar system formed. This is why the Trojans are considered the best evidence left to learn more about the solar system’s formation.<br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How will the mission help?" comment="subhead" text="How will the mission help?"><span data-til="noop">How will the mission help?</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will study the Trojan asteroids up close and doing so is expected to help scientists learn more about how the planets in our solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago, and also why they ended up in their current configuration. Scientists will use Lucy’s black and white cameras to count the number of craters on asteroid surfaces which will let them learn about the environments that the asteroids were exposed to billions of years ago. <br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lucy in the sky with diamonds" comment="subhead" text="Lucy in the sky with diamonds"><span data-til="noop">Lucy in the sky with diamonds</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />The spacecraft will first fly by earth twice and use the planet’s gravity to push itself toward the Trojans. The Lucy mission is going to be a 12-year journey. In 2025, its planned journey should see Lucy flying past Donaldjohanson which orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The spacecraft will reach the first swarm of Trojans by August 2026. In September 2027, it will fly by Polymele, and Leucus by 2028 and then Orus in November 2028.<br /><br />After Lucy will swing back past earth for a third gravity assist to the other side of Jupiter. Here it will meet up with Ptroclus and Meonetius in 2033. Lucy’s 12-year journey is expected to end in two ways - come back to earth as an artefact or flung into the sun or out of the solar system by Jupiter. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/world-view-plans-balloon-trips-to-the-stratosphere-in-2024/articleshow/86772563.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">You might be able to take a trip to the stratosphere with a balloon by 2024</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/india-set-to-witness-its-spacex-moment-soon-says-agnikul-ceo/articleshow/86723308.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">India set to witness its SpaceX moment soon, says Agnikul CEO</a><br />

All you need to know about NASA’s Lucy mission, the first spacecraft flying to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids

<ul><li>A new kind of <keyword id="9267327" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="jupiter-trojan">Jupiter Trojan</keyword> asteroid has been spotted streaking through the skies by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s ATLAS system.</li><li>This asteroid has a comet-like tail that’s never been seen before.</li><li>It confirms what scientists have speculated for years — that Trojan asteroids have large amounts of ice beneath their surface.</li></ul>Astronomers have spotted the first known ‘Jupiter Trojan’ asteroid, which isn’t really the run-of-the-mill asteroid that us Earthlings are used to hearing about. Instead of being a composite ball of rock, the asteroid with the official designation of <keyword id="9267326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="2019-ld2">2019 LD2</keyword> seems to have sprouted a comet-like tail.<br /><br />This is a first for the scientific community and for <a href="http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/2019LD2/">ATLAS</a> — a project funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (<keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword>) which uses wide-field telescopes scan the skies for asteroids that might pose a threat to Earth. It has detected over 40 asteroids so far, but none like the Jupiter Trojan.<br /><br /><br />This finally confirms what astronomers have speculated for years — that Trojan asteroids have large amounts of ice beneath their surface. “ATLAS has shown that the predictions of their icy nature may well be correct" Alan Fitzsimmons, one of the astronomers who made the initial discovery, said.<br /><br />                    <div type="image" title="2019LD2_2" msid="75887172" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Stars seem to streak by in the left panel because the images have been shifted and added to follow 2019 LD2, but the comet itself (indicated by two red lines) is almost lost in the crowded field of stars. The same data are shown at right, but with the stars subtracted. ATLAS uses this star-subtraction process (called difference imaging) for all asteroid search images. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br /><br /><strong>What made this Jupiter Trojan suddenly act like a comet?<br /><br /></strong>Trojan asteroids are those, which follow the same orbit as a planet — either 60 degrees ahead of 60 degrees behind. Even Earth is known to have at least one Trojan asteroid. <br /><br />A Jupiter Trojan is one that follows Jupiter’s orbit, not uncommon for the gaseous giant considering its size and strong gravitational pull. There’s one swarm of Jupiter Trojans orbiting behind the planet, and another orbiting ahead of it, where 2019 LD2 was found.<br /><br />2019 LD2 suddenly spewing ice, dust and gas from its surface could be for a number of reasons. Scientists speculate one reason may that it was only recently captured by a more distant orbit, increasing the likelihood of ice being able to survive on its surface. <br /><br />Another reason could be a recent landslide or impact that brought out ice, which would normally be below, to the surface. <br /><br /><br /><strong>The discovery of 2019 LD2 and its comet-like tail<br /><br /></strong>2019 LD2 was first detected on 10 June 2019. When ATLAS saw it again in July, it saw the peculiar trail of dust and gas running behind the asteroid. <br /><br />Before astronomers had a chance to study the asteroid further, it disappeared behind the Sun wasn’t seen again until April 2020. This time, ATLAS was able to confirm that the asteroid’s tail wasn’t just an anomaly, but a feature that had been with it for at least a year. <br /><br />Not just ATLAS, but multiple observatories — including Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network — have been able to confirm its tail using precise measurements.<br /><br />Normally, astronomers distinguish between asteroids and comets by their characteristics and composition. But, increasingly, they have been detecting ‘crossovers’ where the distinction is no longer as obvious.<br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasa-finds-hyperactive-particles-in-antarctica-that-defy-physics/articleshow/75882395.cms">NASA finds hyperactive particles in Antarctica — they officially defy all known rules of physics</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/checkout-cyclone-amphan-images-of-nasa-from-west-bengal-and-odisha/slidelist/75868028.cms">NASA pictures of Cyclone Amphan battering Odisha and West Bengal</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/birth-of-new-planet-witnessed-by-astronomers-for-the-very-first-time/articleshow/75860057.cms"><strong>In a fiery swirl of orange gas, a new planet is born — witnessed by astronomers for the very first time</strong></a><br />

An asteroid is acting like a comet — confirming what scientists have speculated for years

<ul><li>The National Aeronautics and Space Agency’s (NASA) Lucy Mission has a new target — a satellite orbiting an asteroid.<br /></li><li>Eurybates’ asteroid moon is estimated to be a kilometre wide.<br /></li><li>Exploring the newly discovered satellite will set a new cord of a spacecraft visiting 8 objects in one mission — it will also be the first to visit one of the smallest objects in the universe.<br /></li></ul>The National Aeronautics and Space Agency’s (<a href="https://www.swri.org/press-release/lucy-mission-trojan-asteroids-eurybates-satellite">NASA</a>) Lucy Mission was already going to set a new record by visiting seven asteroids in a single mission when its team found a new target — an asteroid moon. <br /><br />Set to launch in 2021, Lucy is going to travel over 4 billion miles to reach Jupiter’s orbit and find the <keyword id="3951531" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Trojan-asteroids">Trojan asteroids</keyword> — an ancient body of 60 rocks that share an orbit with the gas giant.<br /><br />While conducting reconnaissance on their first target — Eurybates — the team was surprised to discover that the space rock had a companion. Data from the Hubble Space Telescope showed that there was another celestial body orbiting Eurybates.<br /><br />The asteroid's little moon wasn’t easy to spot since Eurybates is 6,000 times brighter than its satellite. In fact, it took Lucy’s team three tries to confirm its existence. <br /><br />Once the team was finally able to see it, the team determined that the satellite was only 1 kilometre across. If their estimate is correct, not only will Lucy be the first to visit eight celestial objects in one mission — it will also be the first to visit one of the smallest objects in the universe.<br /><br />"While the current data are enough to confirm the existence of the satellite, the Lucy team will collect more HST data later this year to better understand the object’s orbit," remarks the Southwest Research Institute (<a href="https://www.swri.org/press-release/lucy-mission-trojan-asteroids-eurybates-satellite">SRI</a>), home to the Lucy mission.<br /><br /><strong>The Trojan asteroids<br /></strong><br />The Trojan asteroids are thought to be the cousins of the asteroid in the <keyword id="166066" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kuiper-belt">Kuiper Belt</keyword> — home of the former planet, Pluto. Since its demotion, scientists have found that there are over 100,000 space rocks in the Kuiper Belt that larger than 100 kilometres in diameter.<br /><br />Eurybates, on the other hand, is a little smaller measuring between 63 to 72 kilometres.<br /><br />"Eurybates is considered the largest remnant of a giant collision that occurred billions of years ago. Simulations show that asteroid collisions like the one that made Eurybates and its family often produce small satellites," said <a href="https://www.swri.org/press-release/lucy-mission-trojan-asteroids-eurybates-satellite">Hal Levison</a>, lead investigator of the mission.<br /><br />To put it in perspective, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs — and left the Chicxulub crater in its wake — is only estimated to be 10 kilometres wide.<br /><br />After Lucy launched in 2021, it will take the spacecraft another six years to reach Eurybates. Currently, the fly-by is scheduled for 12 August 2027. <br /><br />Lucy will approach the minor planet to a distance of around 1000 kilometres at a speed of 5.8 kilometres per second — 10 times the speed of a bullet shooting out of a rifle.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-planet-hunter-uncovers-its-first-world-with-two-stars-1300-light-years-away/articleshow/73133158.cms">NASA's planet-hunter uncovers its first world with two stars 1,300 light-years away</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-sun-probe-sheds-new-light-on-our-star-here-the-5-new-secrets-it-uncovered/articleshow/72395624.cms">NASA’s Sun probe sheds new light on our star — here are 5 new secrets it uncovered</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasa-gets-35-million-to-make-sure-asteroids-dont-destroy-earth/articleshow/72996562.cms">NASA gets $35 million to make sure asteroids don't destroy Earth</a></strong><br />

NASA's 'Lucy' is going to travel 4 billion miles to explore seven Trojan asteroids — and an asteroid Moon

<ul><li>The largest storm in the solar system has shrunk to two-thirds its original size.</li><li>A new study predicts that even though it’s not any less thick, Jupiter’s <keyword id="2593548" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Great-Red-Spot">Great Red Spot</keyword> is definitely much smaller than 350 years ago.</li><li>Scientists will compare their modelled estimates to Juno’s observations to confirm the result.</li></ul>The largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, is also home to the largest storm — an anti-cyclone dubbed the Great Red Spot. It was three times the size of our planet when it was first spotted 350 years ago. However, new research shows that it’s shrinking and it’s already down to the size of a single Earth.<br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="jupiter3" msid="74684313" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The cyclic motion of the Great Red Spot, imaged by the Cassini spacecraft&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



<br />The clouds that surround the spot are opaque, which makes it hard to peer into what’s really going on below the top layer. To overcome that obstacle, researchers with the French National Centre of Scientific Research (<a href="http://www.cnrs.fr/en/jupiters-great-red-spot-shrinking-size-not-thickness">CNRS</a>) started to build a model. <br /><br />Using lab experiments, analysis and numerical simulations there were able to figure out the universal forces that kept the storm going. Their model — published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-0833-9">Nature Physics</a> — shows that even though the storm is still just as intense as it was 350 years ago, it’s a lot smaller now.<br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="jupiter6" msid="74684362" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The notable Great Red Spot, as well as a massive storm called Oval BA&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



<br /><strong>The 350 years of the Great Red Spot<br /></strong>If you can imagine it, the planet itself is made up of liquids and gases. The clouds are a mix and match of jet stream creations, winds and vortices that look like parallel bands streaming through the sky. Within that haze, a little south of Jupiter’s equator, the Great Red Spot stands out on its own — and nobody really knows how it got its colour.<br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="Jupiter1" msid="74684380" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Time-lapse sequence from the approach of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Voyager &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;to Jupiter, showing the motion of atmospheric bands, and circulation of the Great Red Spot&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



.<br />The storm is probably a lot older than just 350 years but it was only spotted in for the first time in 1830 and extensive observations only began by 1879. Earth only got the first detailed view of the Great Red Spot a century later in 1979, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Voyager 1 spacecraft flew past the planet.<br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="jupiter4" msid="74684390" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist&amp;#8217;s concept of the heating mechanism from Jupiter&amp;#8217;s Great Red Spot&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



<br /><br />However, a lot is still unknown to date. The new study estimates that the Great Red Spot is around 170 kilometres thick — about the same as when the Voyager 1 made its fly-by. In order to confirm their results, the estimates of the model will be compared to Juno’s observations when they come in.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-planet-thrice-the-size-of-jupiter-discovered-due-to-its-strange-orbit/articleshow/70959698.cms">A planet thrice the size of Jupiter discovered due to its 'strange orbit'</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-lucy-is-going-to-travel-4-billion-miles-to-explore-seven-trojan-asteroids-and-an-asteroid-moon/articleshow/73189625.cms">NASA's 'Lucy' is going to travel 4 billion miles to explore seven Trojan asteroids — and an asteroid Moon</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/a-star-on-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-just-got-a-bengali-name/articleshow/72862747.cms">A star on the edge of the Solar System just got a Bengali name</a></strong><br />

Jupiter's Great Red Spot shrunk took 350 years to shrink to one-third its original size

<ul><li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (<keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword>) <keyword id="43700" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hubble-Telescope">Hubble telescope</keyword> has caught a <keyword id="10833403" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="centaur-comet">Centaur comet</keyword> entering the orbit around <keyword id="34757" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jupiter">Jupiter</keyword> on camera for the very first time.</li><li>The images show that it is currently amidst Jupiter’s ancient <keyword id="81841" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Asteroids">asteroids</keyword> called Trojans.</li><li>Scientists who made the discovery speculate that the <keyword id="158876" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="comet">comet</keyword> had to have entered Jupiter’s orbit at just the right trajectory in order for this to happen.</li></ul>A centaur flying into a bunch of trojans sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but that is exactly what is happening in the orbit of our solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter.<br /><br />For the very first time, a Centaur comet has been caught on camera amidst Jupiter’s ancient asteroids called Trojans using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/comet-makes-a-pit-stop-near-jupiters-asteroids">NASA</a>) legendary Hubble Telescope.<br /><br /><div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x-Ikmr5IPys" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></cdata></div><br />Centaurs are small icy rocks that orbit the Sun between Jupiter and <keyword id="175328" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neptune">Neptune</keyword>. Every once in a while, as they get closer to the Sun, these unstable balls of ice transform into comets upon being heated up. <br /><br />Trojans, on the other hand, are asteroids that only orbit Jupiter. There are over a million of them larger than 1 kilometer in diameter — that’s almost the same number of asteroids in the asteroid belt that divides the solar system’s inner four planets from the outer four.<br /><br />"The cool thing is that you are actually catching Jupiter flinging this object around and changing its orbital behavior and bringing it into the inner system," said team member Carey Lisse of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/comet-makes-a-pit-stop-near-jupiters-asteroids">statement.</a> <br /><br />The solar system is made up of two parts, the inner system and the outer system, divided by the asteroid belt. The inner system consists of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars while the outer system is made up of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="planets_edited" msid="81227807" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The asteroid belt lies dividing the inner and outer solar system lies between Mars and Jupiter&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br /><strong>How did this happen?<br /></strong>Honestly, even NASA does not know. Scientists who made the discovery speculate that the comet had to have entered Jupiter’s orbit at just the right trajectory to not burn up, and not just fly by either. <br /><br />"Jupiter controls what is going on with comets once they get into the inner system by altering their orbits," explained Lisse.<br /><br />One possible explanation is that the Centaur, dubbed P/2019 LD2, is likely the latest member of the ‘bucket brigade’. These are comets that get kicked out of the <keyword id="166066" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kuiper-belt">Kuiper belt</keyword> and into the orbits of large planets due to interactions with another Kuiper belt object before getting caught in a game of celestial pinball.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="kuiper belt." msid="81227818" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Kuiper Belt lies along the outer edges of the solar system&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The Kuiper belt is the asteroid belt’s outer solar system cousin. The haven of icy, leftover debris from our planet’s construction 4.6 billion years ago is located beyond even Neptune’s orbit. It contains millions of objects. Every once in a while, these objects have near misses or collisions that drastically alter their orbits from the Kuiper belt inward into the giant planet region.<br /><br />And, P/2019 LD2, is likely one of the many icy relics on a bumpy towards the Sun. According to the researchers at NASA, members of the bucket brigade can spend nearly five million years sucked into the gravity of a large planet before crossing over into the inner solar system.<br /><br />On the other hand, it i also possible that the Centaur will never make the crossing. "Short-period comets like LD2 meet their fate by being thrown into the Sun and totally disintegrating, hitting a planet, or venturing too close to Jupiter once again and getting thrown out of the solar system, which is the usual fate," explained Lisse.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-signal-and-telegram-face-a-catch-22-situation-as-indias-new-social-media-rules-threaten-encryption/articleshow/81221070.cms">Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram face a catch-22 situation as India’s new social media rules threaten encryption</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/ignore-low-cibil-score-for-street-vendor-loans-work-on-holidays-and-other-diktats-from-indian-government-to-banks-rushing-to-meet-march-target/articleshow/81223572.cms"><strong>EXCLUSIVE: Ignore low CIBIL score for street vendor loans, work on holidays, and other diktats from Indian government to banks rushing to meet March target</strong></a><br /><br />

A comet has been spotted among Jupiter's ancient asteroids for the very first time

A <keyword id="6360409" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nasa" source="Orion">NASA</keyword> spacecraft named <keyword id="53050" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lucy" source="Orion">Lucy</keyword>, the first mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, has captured a stunning image of <keyword id="6359982" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="earth" source="Orion">Earth</keyword>, along with a photo of the Earth and the <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">Moon</keyword>, as part of gravity assist to gain some of the orbital energy it needs to travel to this never-before-visited population of asteroids.<br /><br />NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured the image of Earth at a distance of 620,000 km. The upper left of the image includes a view of Hadar, Ethiopia, home to the 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor fossil for which the spacecraft was named, the US space agency said in a statement. <br /><br />Lucy is the first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, an ancient population of asteroid "fossils" that orbit around the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. <br /><br />To reach these distant asteroids, the Lucy spacecraft's trajectory includes three Earth gravity assists to boost it on its journey to these enigmatic asteroids.<br /><br />The image was taken with Lucy's Terminal Tracking Camera (T2CAM) system, a pair of identical cameras that are responsible for tracking the asteroids during Lucy's high-speed encounters. <br /><br />The T2CAM system was designed, built and tested by Malin Space Science Systems; Lockheed Martin Integrated the T2CAMs onto the Lucy spacecraft and operates them.<br /><br />Lucy spacecraft also captured an image of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of 1.4 million km. <br /><br />These Earth flybys provide Lucy with the speed required to reach the Trojan asteroids - small bodies that orbit the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. <br /><br />On its 12-year journey, Lucy will fly by a record-breaking number of asteroids and survey their diversity, looking for clues to better understand the formation of the solar system.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/prioritising-fossils-fuels-over-cleaner-energy-alternatives-amplified-indian-heart-related-mortalities-by-55lancet-countdown-report/articleshow/95096593.cms">Prioritising fossils fuels over cleaner energy alternatives amplified Indian heart-related mortalities by 55%: Lancet Countdown report</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-and-instagram-will-soon-have-to-pay-a-30-tax-to-apple-for-paid-posts-on-their-platform/articleshow/95096482.cms">Facebook and Instagram will soon have to pay a 30% tax to Apple for paid posts on their platform</a><br /></strong>

NASA's Lucy spacecraft captures images of Earth, Moon ahead of gravity assist

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval to the distribution of <keyword id="1505270" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="free-tablets" source="Orion">free tablets</keyword> and smartphones among students pursuing higher studies. The scheme will put a burden of ₹3,000 crore on the state exchequer, a government statement said.<br /><br />The cabinet also approved ₹37.35 lakh for the installation of a statue of former PM <keyword id="47100" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee" source="Orion">Atal Bihari Vajpayee</keyword> at the Circuit House in Kanpur.<br /><br />The CM has been authorised to make any amendments to resolve practical difficulties in the scheme.<br /><br />The statement said the decision was taken keeping in view the coronavirus pandemic as classes are being held online.<br /><br />This will help students complete their courses successfully, the statement said.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-lucy-mission-to-study-jupiters-trojan-asteroids/articleshow/86801022.cms">All you need to know about NASA’s Lucy mission, the first spacecraft flying to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/byjus-paytm-oyo-and-ola-are-currently-valued-higher-than-ashok-leyland-indian-hotels-and-escorts/articleshow/86782880.cms"><strong>India's largest two-wheeler maker, biggest beer brewer and aluminum producer are smaller than startups like Byju's, Paytm, and OYO</strong></a><br />

UP government to give free tablets, smartphones to students pursuing higher education ahead of polls

India added 18,833 new coronavirus infections taking the country's tally of <keyword id="8785701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-cases" source="Orion">COVID-19 cases</keyword> to 3,38,71,881, while the active cases declined to 2,46,687, the lowest in 203 days, according to the <keyword id="83655" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Health-Ministry" source="Orion">Union Health Ministry</keyword> data updated on Wednesday.<br /><br />The death toll climbed to 4,49,538 with 278 fresh <keyword id="6547919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fatalities" source="Orion">fatalities</keyword>, according to the data updated at 8 am.<br /><br />The daily rise in new coronavirus infections remained below 30,000 for the 12th straight day.<br /><br />The active cases comprise 0.73 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national <keyword id="8763838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> recovery rate was recorded at 97.94 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.<br /><br />A decrease of 6,215 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.<br /><br />India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.<br /><br />India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-lucy-mission-to-study-jupiters-trojan-asteroids/articleshow/86801022.cms">All you need to know about NASA’s Lucy mission, the first spacecraft flying to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/byjus-paytm-oyo-and-ola-are-currently-valued-higher-than-ashok-leyland-indian-hotels-and-escorts/articleshow/86782880.cms"><strong>India's largest two-wheeler maker, biggest beer brewer and aluminum producer are smaller than startups like Byju's, Paytm, and OYO</strong></a><br />

COVID-19: India recorded 18,833 new cases in last 24 hours, lowest in 203 days

Space 2021: All the Mars landings, eclipses, astronaut flights, rocket launches, and other big missions to look for this year

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/586d5706f10a9a1d008b69ee-1312/undefined" alt="psyche asteroid nasa discovery mission linda elkins tanton youtube" data-mce-source="Linda Elkins-Tanton/YouTube" data-mce-caption="An artist's rendering of the Psyche spacecraft approaching a giant metal asteroid." data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBfNQXSbJo"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBfNQXSbJo">Linda Elkins-Tanton/YouTube</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artist's rendering of the Psyche spacecraft approaching a giant metal asteroid.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Every few years, NASA picks a roughly $450 million mission to explore the solar system.<p>On Wednesday, however, the space agency <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-two-missions-to-explore-the-early-solar-system">announced not one, but two new space probes</a> from a batch of five finalists.</p><p>One will fly out to Jupiter to explore its swarms of mysterious, burgundy-colored asteroids.</p><p>A second mission will visit the all-metal asteroid 16 Psyche: the core of a dead planet that was almost entirely destroyed billions of years ago.</p><p>"These missions will help us learn about the infancy of our solar system, a period just 10 million years after the birth of our sun," Jim Green, the leader of NASA's planetary <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> program, said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYdCU1QQQro">a NASA video</a>.</p><p>The two spacecraft join a historic fleet of 12 other Discovery-class missions, and the program has proven nothing less than revolutionary.</p><p>For example, Discovery-class spacecraft are how humanity - for the first time - <a href="http://near.jhuapl.edu/">orbited</a> an asteroid, <a href="http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html">brought</a> fresh comet dust to Earth, <a href="http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/">explored</a> a dwarf planet in Asteroid Belt, <a href="https://kepler.nasa.gov/index.cfm">found</a> thousands of Earth-like planet candidates, <a href="https://discovery.nasa.gov/grail.cfml">mapped</a> the moon's gravity, and <a href="https://discovery.nasa.gov/missions.cfml">other feats</a>.</p><p>Here's what we know about NASA's newest Discovery missions.</p><h2>Lucy: Exploring ancient 'fossils' of the solar system</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/586d3fbbee14b62b008b67a7-1490/undefined" alt="lucy jupiter trojan asteroids spacecraft discovery nasa swri" data-mce-source="Southwest Research Institute" data-mce-caption="An artist's concept of the Lucy Trojan asteroid probe." data-link="http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/2015/swri-nasa-contract-mission-jupiter-trojan-asteroid.htm"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/2015/swri-nasa-contract-mission-jupiter-trojan-asteroid.htm">Southwest Research Institute</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artist's concept of the Lucy Trojan asteroid probe.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Jupiter is not only the solar system's largest and most massive planet, but also its traffic cop for asteroids floating through space.</p><p>But ahead of and behind Jupiter, there's a mysterious traffic jam: two swarms of <a href="http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/T/Trojan+Asteroids">Trojan asteroids</a>, or space rocks that follow planets.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/586d39adf10a9a23008b6883-2400" alt="lucy jupiter trojan asteroids spacecraft discovery nasa jpl caltech" data-mce-source="NASA/JPL-Caltech" data-mce-caption="An artist's concept of Trojan asteroids that shadow Jupiter." data-link="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia16211"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia16211">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artist's concept of Trojan asteroids that shadow Jupiter.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Humanity knows precious little about Jupiter's Trojans, other than their color (<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia16211">a dark, wine-like burgundy</a>) and the fact they're nearly as old as the sun. This makes them figurative "fossils" of the solar system.<p>"We know very little about these objects," Green said. "They may be captured asteroids, comets, or even Kuiper Belt objects."</p><p>The <a href="http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/2015/swri-nasa-contract-mission-jupiter-trojan-asteroid.htm#.WG0-zbYrJTY">Lucy</a> spacecraft could learn untold secrets about the solar system's history by visiting six of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.</p><p>The 11-year-long mission will launch in 2021, led by <a href="http://www.swri.org/iProfiles/ViewiProfile.asp?k=9c0p1018f760p35">Harold Levison</a>, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute.</p><p>"Lucy, like the human fossil for which it is named, will revolutionize the understanding of our origins," Levison said in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-two-missions-to-explore-the-early-solar-system">a NASA press release</a>.</p><h2>Psyche: Probing the heart of a dead world</h2><p>The early solar system was a nightmare. As soon as the embryos of planets coalesced from dust and gas some 4.6 billion years ago, they would smash together.</p><p>Earth and the moon <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/moon-formed-in-head-on-collision-2016-1">formed out of such a cataclysm</a>, but other worlds weren't so lucky.</p><p>One is the metallic core of a Mars-size planet, called 16 Psyche - what Green said is "a very large and rare" asteroid located in Asteroid Belt. It's about 155 miles (250 km) wide and thought to be made of <a href="https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/psyche-unexpected-discoveries-metal-world">pure nickel, yet weirdly covered in some water</a>.</p><p>The Psyche probe, set to launch in October 2023, endeavors to visit the dead planet and probe its mysteries.</p><p>Leading the mission will be Arizona State University space scientist<a href="https://webapp4.asu.edu/directory/person/2437950"> Linda Elkins-Tanton</a>, who said "this is the only way humans will ever visit a [planet's] core" in NASA's release.</p><h2>The 3 missions that didn't make NASA's cut</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/586d39aef10a9a1d008b68f8-1968" alt="neocam asteroid hunter spacecraft discovery nasa jpl caltech" data-mce-source="NASA/JPL-Caltech" data-mce-caption="An artist's concept of the NEOCam asteroid-hunting mission." data-link="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4727"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4727">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artist's concept of the NEOCam asteroid-hunting mission.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The announcement of two new Discovery missions was especially crucial, says <a href="https://www.psi.edu/about/staffpage/sykes">Mark Sykes</a>, director and CEO of the Planetary Science Institute, who asserts that NASA has lagged behind on its promise with the 25-year-old NASA program.</p><p>"[W]hen NASA says that there have been 12 Discovery missions, consider that 10 of them were selected more than 15 years ago," Sykes, whose Discovery-class <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mystery-pyramid-nasa-asteroid-belt-2016-3">Dawn mission</a> is soon coming to an end, told Business Insider in an email. He said picking two is "an important first step towards rebuilding the program."</p><p>However, Sykes was part of one of the five Discovery finalists that didn't make the cut. His mission? A hazardous asteroid-hunting mission, called NEOCam.</p><p>Earth is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-initiative-to-protect-earth-from-asteroids-2016-1">a shooting gallery</a> for small asteroids and comets, yet we don't yet have a way to find such space rocks - some of which have the potential to level major cities in an instant.</p><p>NEOCam, named after dangerous near-Earth objects (NEOs), would have helped discover <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4727">10 times the objects</a> of any space rock-hunting mission to date.</p><p>Although NEOCam didn't get $450 million in funding, like Lucy and Psyche, NASA plans to fund the mission for at least an additional year.</p><p>"The NEOCam mission, in addition to providing fundamental science about small bodies throughout the inner solar system, performs a mission that is needed to satisfy the Congressional mandate to find 90% of NEOs 140 [meters] or greater that threaten the Earth," Sykes said.</p><p>"Hopefully, resources will be identified this next year to fund NEOCam and support these objectives," he said.</p><p>Also on NASA's cutting-room floor were two Venus spacecraft proposals: DAVINCI, which would have dropped a probe to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-venus-surface-is-like-2017-1">planet's hellish surface</a>, and VERITAS, which would have studied the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/venus-deadly-surface-conditions-2016-12">Earth-like world</a> from above.</p><div><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:57%"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/SpiritedSecondJay" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="100%" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/molten-salt-reactor-technology-power-world-millions-years-2016-12">This Cold War-era technology could safely power the world for millions of years</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hoOXhiODE6mtYAnzOSgYhFwj_jwPpGtb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'hoOXhiODE6mtYAnzOSgYhFwj_jwPpGtb',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

NASA just announced it will probe a dead planet's core

<br /><ul><li>Scientists have spotted a new ‘mini-moon’ orbiting Earth.<br /></li><li>The visiting space rock has been identified as asteroid 2020 CD3.<br /></li><li>One of the first mini-moons to be discovered by researchers was 2006 RH120, which circled the planet for 18 months.<br /></li></ul>The Moon isn’t the only space rock orbiting the Earth. A new mini-moon was spotted circling the planet by a researcher at the Catalina Sky Survey. Between 2 to 3 meters wide, scientists estimate that Asteroid 2020 CD3 has been lingering around for the past three years.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="WierzchosKacper" handlename="Kacper Wierzchos" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1119991063781842944/z0bJlZh-_normal.png" favoritecount="2078" retweetcount="981" status="BIG NEWS (thread 1/3). Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On the night… https://t.co/QbzjSmnykB" createdat="1582676440000" id="1232460436634656769"></div>

<br />However, this isn’t the first mini-moon that researchers have found. <br /><br />According to scientists, there is at least one mini-moon circling the planet at any given time — most of them go undiscovered because they’re so small in size.<br /><br /><strong>Not the first mini-moon<br /></strong>In 2016, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) reported that another asteroid called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/SURPRISE-Earth-has-two-moons/amp_articleshow/52782976.cms">2016 HO3</a> had been caught in Earth’s gravity.<br /><br />Bigger than 2020 CD3, it is between 35 to 90 meters wide. When it was initially spotted three years ago, the asteroid had already been around for a century. Scientists estimate that it is likely that it will stick around for many more centuries to come — giving the Earth a grand total of two mini-moons for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />However, 2016 HO3 was one of many. One of the earliest mini-moons was 2006 RH120, just under a meter in size. According to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248852563_Photometry_of_2006_RH120_An_asteroid_temporary_captured_into_a_geocentric_orbit">researchers</a>, it circled the Earth for 18 months between 2006 and 2007.<br /><br /><strong>What do we know about the new mini-moon?<br /></strong>The International Astronomical Union (<a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K20/K20DA4.html">IAU</a>) observations “indicate that this object is temporarily bound to Earth,” although it did not issue any estimates how long the new mini-moon will be sticking around. <br /><br />An orbit model developed by Tony Dunn, an amateur astrophysicist, estimates that 2020 CD3 could be making its exit from Earth’s orbit as early as April.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="tony873004" handlename="Tony Dunn" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1131753263462662144/EpVgElJF_normal.png" favoritecount="77" retweetcount="32" status="Here's an animated GIF of our new mini-moon 2020 CD3, discovered by @WierzchosKacper. Rotating frame keeps the Eart… https://t.co/mRBEjcIoHF" createdat="1582684157000" id="1232492803805986816"></div>

<br />However, the IAU was able to confirm that the asteroid is not linked to any known artificial objects. “No evidence of perturbations due to solar radiation pressure is seen,” it added.<br /><br /><strong>What would happen if the Earth actually had two moons?<br /></strong>Thankfully, all of the mini-moons spotted so far have been small in size. If a space object, identical to the Moon, was to get trapped in the Earth’s orbit the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-city-in-china-wants-to-launch-an-artificial-moon-into-orbit-by-2020-heres-what-would-happen-if-earth-really-did-have-two-moons/articleshow/67474908.cms">results wouldn’t be pretty</a>.<br /><br />Anything a normal moon does, a second moon would exacerbate. So if the original moon dictates tides, a second moon would cause the sea-level to rise suddenly sending the oceans into a violent frenzy. <br /><br />The tug of war between them for dominance would pull gravity back and forth triggering massive volcanic activity. Like Jupiter’s moon Io — the second moon would be overcome in rivers of lava.<br /><br />In the long run — a couple of millions of years of repeated volatility — the two moons would eventually collide destroying each other and sending millions of pieces of debris flying into space, including massive chunks towards Earth. Anything that doesn’t get smashed into the surface would get caught in the planet’s gravity.<br /><br />As of now, the new mini-moon is not something to worry about. While it’s existence has been confirmed, there’s still a lot that scientists hope to uncover in the coming days. Some are hoping that there’s a possibility that the asteroid could get caught in the Moon’s gravity as it flies off, creating a ‘moonmoon’.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-lucy-is-going-to-travel-4-billion-miles-to-explore-seven-trojan-asteroids-and-an-asteroid-moon/articleshow/73189625.cms">NASA's 'Lucy' is going to travel 4 billion miles to explore seven Trojan asteroids — and an asteroid Moon</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/moon-magnetic-field-died-a-billion-years-ago/articleshow/73064597.cms">The Moon used to have its own shield against the Sun — it died a billion years ago</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/the-worlds-oldest-asteroid-struck-earth-2-2-billion-years-ago-triggering-the-first-episode-global-warming-in-history/articleshow/73509096.cms">The world's oldest asteroid struck Earth 2.2 billion years ago triggering one of the first global warming episodes in history</a><br />

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