Scientists confirm there is a jumbo-sized 'trojan' asteroid that is trailing
Earth. Can the space rock harm the planet?
According to a New York Post article, scientists named the asteroid 2020 XL5
and it was observed to follow Earth's orbit. This is the second time in
history that an asteroid has been in Earth's orbit.
This asteroid is quite large, estimated to be about 1 kilometer wide.
Luckily, scientists have confirmed that this asteroid is not dangerous or
has the potential to hit Earth at this time or in the future. It only stalks
the planet and poses no threat.
Dubbed the 'trojan' asteroid from the story of the Trojan War, this kind of
space rock is known to share the same orbit as a planet and was first
discovered around the planet Jupiter.
Asteroid 2020 XL5 was first detected in December 2020 and at that time its
status was included as a new candidate for asteroid trojan. After further
investigation, scientists confirmed it was true.
"Here we can confirm that the recently discovered 2020 XL5 is the second
known trojan asteroid to follow Earth," the researchers wrote in a research
publication in the journal Nature Communications.
They said that it was possible for humans to visit the asteroid 2020 XL5
someday, and even build a living base there to carry out certain missions.
"These asteroid objects may become ideal targets for space missions and, in
the distant future, for building a human base or installing scientific
tools," the researchers said.
