Study Finds Earth’s Small Asteroid Visitor Likely Chunk of Moon Rock
NASA | January 22, 2025
Media Contacts: Dwayne Brown / Rick Smith Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 / 202-358-1100 dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov / rick.smith@nasa.gov
WASHINGTON – A mysterious asteroid that passed close to Earth last year likely originated as a chunk of the moon, according to a new study by NASA scientists.
The asteroid, known as 2022 RM4, was discovered on September 11, 2022, by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona. The asteroid made a close approach to Earth on September 17, 2022, passing about 75,000 kilometers (47,000 miles) from our planet.
Scientists were initially puzzled by the asteroid’s unusual orbit. Most asteroids orbit the sun in a relatively stable path, but 2022 RM4 had a highly elliptical orbit that brought it very close to the sun at one point and very far away at another.
Further observations revealed that 2022 RM4 had a composition similar to that of lunar rocks, suggesting that it may have originated as a chunk of the moon.
“The composition and orbit of 2022 RM4 are consistent with it being a piece of the moon that was ejected into space by an impact,” said Vishnu Reddy, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson and lead author of the new study.
The study, which was published in the journal The Planetary Science Journal, found that 2022 RM4 is likely a fragment of a large impact crater on the moon. The impact that created the crater would have ejected a large amount of material into space, some of which could have eventually ended up as an asteroid.
“This study highlights the dynamic nature of the solar system and the role that impacts play in shaping the surface of planets and moons,” said study co-author S. Alan Stern, the Principal Investigator for NASA’s New Horizons mission.
The discovery of 2022 RM4 as a potential chunk of the moon is a reminder of the close relationship between our planet and its celestial neighbor. The moon has been a source of fascination and exploration for centuries, and it continues to offer scientists new insights into the history and evolution of our solar system.
Study Finds Earth’s Small Asteroid Visitor Likely Chunk of Moon Rock
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