MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii — That's no moon..., or actually, maybe it is. Scientists say that a newly discovered asteroid may actually be a "quasi-moon" that has orbited Earth for thousands of years.
According to Space.com and Sky and Telescope, asteroid 2023 FW13 circles the sun in sync with the Earth, and is in an orbit so large that it "sweeps out halfway to Mars and in halfway to Venus".
Earth's newfound cosmic companion was first sighted by scientists using the Pan-STARRS survey telescope in Hawaii on March 28. The asteroid was later confirmed by both the Kitt Peak National Observatory and Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter in Arizona.
Story continues below
The new "quasi-moon" was officially announced on April 1.
2023 FW13 is estimated at this time to be about 65 feet, or 20 meters, across.
Some astronomers, such as French journalist Adrien Coffinet, say that 2023 FW13 flies so far from Earth that its orbit is actually more affected by the sun than our little blue planet, reaching its closest point to Earth at around 9 million miles away as opposed the moon's 223,693.
Sky and Telescope's David Chandler reported that it is believed Earth's new companion may not be so new after all, and has been around since 100 B.C., and is expected to stick around until at least A.D. 3700.
At this point, it doesn't look like 2023 FW13 poses any threat to Earth, so thankfully our new cosmic companion seems to be a friendly one.
More space stories from 6 News: