Say What? Planetary Science

Earth has a tiny tagalong, and no, it’s not a moon

Quasisatellite orbits sun, but stays close to Earth

illustration of orbit of asteroid 2016 HO3

THAT’S NO MOON The orbit of asteroid 2016 HO3 (yellow), discovered April 27, keeps it close to Earth; from our vantage point, it appears as though 2016 HO3 orbits Earth when it actually orbits the sun.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

By Christopher Crockett

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