See Earth’s “mini-Moon” for the Last Time This Afternoon
With everything else happening in 2020, you might have missed the story of a mysterious flying object that fell into Earth’s orbit in September 2020 . Without knowing exactly what it was, it was called “SO 2020” and considered a “mini moon” – the term used to describe temporary satellites.
By December, NASA researchers determined that it was actually a piece of artificial space debris: the remains of a 1960s booster rocket used on American Surveyor missions to the moon. While this has been one possible explanation for the mini-moon since its discovery in September, astronomers were only able to confirm its identity after it approached Earth on December 1.
But if you missed out on the rocket booster in December, you’re in luck: this afternoon, it will return for its final farewell victory lap. Here’s how to look at it.
How to Observe the Last Orbit of a Mini Moon / Rocket Booster
Today, according to EarthSky , the 1960s mini-moon / space debris will be 140,000 miles from Earth, or 58% of the distance between Earth and the Moon. Although this is not enough to see him with the naked eye, we have a chance to capture his last visit thanks to the virtual telescope project in Rome.
This is how Italian astrophysicist and astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, describes today’s event:
After its extremely close flight in December 2020, SO is approaching safely again, this time to say goodbye. As you know, this is the carrier rocket of the Surveyor 2 space mission, which was temporarily captured by our planet. Soon, this artificial mini-moon will leave our surroundings, entering a new orbit around the Sun. Let’s say goodbye, we live: join us without leaving your home!
To see the last pass of the mini-moon, tune in to the live stream of the Virtual Telescope Project here . It will be most visible above the group’s robotic telescopes in central Italy starting at 5:00 pm ET, Masi said.
What happens to the mini moon after that?
Although the rocket booster will no longer be visible after today, it will slowly drift away, eventually leaving Earth’s orbit in March 2021. After that, it will begin to revolve around the sun. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.