Saturday, June 25, 2016

How About Some Astronomy.

There is a lot of things happening in our universe.  Some are so far away that they have no effect on us here on Earth, but some are close by and do affect us.  But most, even the close ones, would not be noticed by us humans if we did not have the astronomers and their powerful telescopes.

So, what am I getting at?  Well, I am sure you know that Earth is not alone.  Yes, we have some natural satellites along with a lot of man made ones.  The one I am going to talk about has slight changes in its orbit every revolution around our planet.  This could possibly cause a problem for Earth in the future.  I found information and an illustration of the asteroid as it circles the sun and the Earth on the Astronomy web site:
Asteroid 2016 HO3

Click on the above illustration to enlarge it.  So, as you see, the Earth has a companion for our moon.  Now the old moon will not feel so lonely. . . (grin).  Below, I have copied and pasted a paragraph from the astronomy.com web site:

As it orbits the Sun, this new asteroid, designated 2016 HO3, appears to circle around Earth as well. It is too distant to be considered a true satellite of our planet, but it is the best and most stable example to date of a "quasi-satellite."

OK, so it isn't a companion for our moon, since it orbits the Earth a lot further out past the moon, but it is there and it is a satellite of Earth.  Just when we think we know all about the solar system, especially the part close to Earth, surprises seem to always pop up.  What does this new discovered satellite mean to you and me?  Probably nothing at all, but I thought it was interesting.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

6 comments:

  1. Maybe we should drag out Bill's old telescope and use it instead of putting it in a yard sale... who knows? We might discover a new satellite....

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    1. That would be a good idea. There is always something to look at. Even if it is cloudy you can spy on your neighbors (grin).

      What type and size of telescope do you have?

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  2. I didn't know about the satellite - I thought you were going to refer to Niburu. What a stir that is causing among a lot of folks. I think it's a lot of hype.

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    1. Niburu is quite large and even if it got close to the solar system, it would cause a deadly mess. I believe that it is over three times the diameter of Jupiter. I don't want that object to get any where close to us.

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  3. I haven't heard of this asteroid before. Sounds interesting. Still amazes me how much is out there that we still don't know about. Must be why the Star Trek series fascinates me so much.

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    1. I don't believe that the human mind can comprehend the fastness of the universe. And yes, I always loved Sci-Fi shows.

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