|
The closest the asteroid will come to Earth in the next 100 years is around 14 Lunar Distances, on 11 July 2097.
Martin Connors of Athabaseca University in Canada writes in the journal 'Meteoritics and Planetary Science' that it, "moves in a very Earth-like orbit," and is the "first true co-orbital object of Earth."
The Linear Search Program, working out of New Mexico, made the first observations of the asteroid, now known as 2002 AA29, when it was at one end of its horseshoe-like orbit and therefore bright enough to be detected.
Although 2002 AA29 will be within around 15 Lunar Distances on 8 January 2003, it will be too faint to be seen with amateur equipment.
Scientists are already speculating about the possibility of manned missions to what some are calling �Earth�s Little Brother�. Should such a mission go ahead, it would be the first time humans have set foot on another world since the Apollo missions to the Moon in the 60s and 70s.
The prospect of humans landing on an asteroid is very exciting. The information that could be gained from a manned mission would provide be a huge step forward in our understanding of the composition of asteroids.
More info: BBC Online
|
