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Earth May Have Many Satellites, However Catlike


Earth may have many satellites, however catlike
By Robert Roy Britt, explorezone.com 
September 29, 1999

Though the Moon may be the only noticeable natural object orbiting our
planet, new research suggests Earth may have several more satellites, albeit
much smaller, all caught in temporary orbits. Like cats, these satellites
are not entirely our own, one researcher said.

Astronomers have long known that the solar system is full, relatively
speaking, of thousands and thousands of asteroids. Most orbit the Sun in a
region known as the asteroid belt, but a handful cross Earth's orbital path,
that imaginary curve through space along which our planet travels around the
Sun.

A new study, which looked at these potentially dangerous Earth-crossing
asteroids and others, shows that some of them may be trapped in motions that
seem at least partially associated with the pull of Earth.

The paths of these asteroids are described as "co-orbital," where the
asteroid is lured into a semipermanent gravitational dance with the Earth
and the Sun.

In this week's issue of Physical Review Letters, Fathi Namouni of Queen Mary
and Westfield College in London explains one theoretical scenario called a
"retrograde satellite motion," in which an asteroid orbits Earth in the
opposite direction of the Moon's orbit. These retrograde asteroids can bop
along at a great distance from us, as far as halfway to the Sun.

Full story here:

http://explorezone.com/archives/99_09/29_earth_satellites.htm

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