Astronomers Find Newly Discovered Asteroid Is Earth's Companion

The "horseshoe" definition refers to the object's position relative to Earth. If you look at that diagram, imagine the asteroid approaching Earth on the lower, inner part of the horseshoe. In this region, the asteroid is slightly inside Earth's orbit, and travelling slightly faster than our planet. However, as it approaches, it crosses Earth's orbit (still trailing our planet by some margin), and starts to slow down. The asteroid starts to recede from Earth at this point, which equates with the lower, outer part of the horseshoe.

You have to remember that the diagram is attempting to explain a dynamic situation with a static picture. However, the real situation is that Earth and the asteroid are in constant motion. That is why you are getting confused. The horseshoe is NOT the shape of the asteroid's orbit!

reply to post by Mogget


Good, thank goodness for that. I thought I had gone wrong in the mind-tank there. Space related news is always amazing to me, but very rarely is it utterly baffling lol. The diagrams made things more confusing than they needed to be perhaps!

If my old Dance of the Planets software worked with my new Vista PC, I could have demonstrated the "horseshoe" effect with a dynamic simulation. Dance had the ability to "lock" on to a planet, which means that I could have kept Earth stationary on the display, and allowed 2010 SO16 to "draw" the horseshoe shape over time.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
reply to post by kinda kurious

 

What is that supposed to represent? The cyan looking line? That literaly couldnt be an orbit. I mean, thats just ludicrous!

That is exactly my thought but it is what Wiki Images presented.

I'm not lending ANY credence to that but thanks for confirming it's rubbish.

Even if newly discovered, this asteroid isn't alone by the way.

There's a handful of similar ones known already: en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by pauljs75


There's something vwrong with all this.
If it's 'newly discovered', how can we call it Earth's 'companion'? I mean, has it just arrived or has it always been there?
And why does everybody jump in here, wanting to put the Nibiru issue to rest? What's this tiny asteroid got to do with Nibiru? If they want to say 'brown dwarf', why don't they say so. THAT'S what they're really worried about, hoping to downgrade this sensitive number to this titchy object. Sorry, but they should be looking at comet Elenin which is a cover for the brown dwarf which is kicking in all sorts of stuff in our direction, like the asteroid due on 9 April (that's tomorrow, folks) - they're coming thick and fast these days, aren't they! - and hopefully to miss us by 600,000 miles. Lots more to come this year, especially when the tail hits us in November.

mclinking

This one is interesting:

ssd.jpl.nasa.gov...

"Honda 45P" Around August 19th, a mere .0775 AU (7,204,075 miles)

Similar ecliptic plane to earth orbit.

Originally posted by Flyzoid
Zomg!!! Nibiru has returned!
I just wanted to say it first... I don't believe in nibiru

Useless information. Go away.