Possible Moon Chunk Discovered Orbiting Earth

A near-Earth asteroid called Kamo'oalewa, which is similar to the Moon in some respects, may be a chunk of the Moon, according to a new study. Kamo'oalewa is a quasi-satellite, meaning it orbits Earth but is also influenced by the Sun. The study used computer simulations to model particles ejected from the Moon by collisions, and found that some of them took up orbits similar to Kamo'oalewa's. If proven to be a chunk of the Moon, Kamo'oalewa would be the first one and could provide valuable insights into ancient lunar material. Several missions are being planned to study the asteroid, including China's Tianwen-2, which will take a sample of the asteroid to be returned to Earth for analysis.