GOLDSTONE, Calif. The mountain-sized asteroid that passed close by earth Monday has its own small moon, according to NASA.
The asteroid, called 2004 BL86, and the moon were captured during its closest approach to Earth in radar images by NASAs 230-foot-wide Deep Space Network antenna. The asteroid is the largest one expected to fly by Earth until 2027 and came within 745,000 miles of our planet at 9:19 a.m. Monday.
Measuring 230 feet across, the moon is much smaller than the asteroid it orbits, which is 1,100 feet across, according to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Researchers combined 20 images of the asteroid and moon to make a movie showing the relationship between the two objects.
The asteroid, called 2004 BL86, and the moon were captured during its closest approach to Earth in radar images by NASAs 230-foot-wide Deep Space Network antenna. The asteroid is the largest one expected to fly by Earth until 2027 and came within 745,000 miles of our planet at 9:19 a.m. Monday.
Measuring 230 feet across, the moon is much smaller than the asteroid it orbits, which is 1,100 feet across, according to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Researchers combined 20 images of the asteroid and moon to make a movie showing the relationship between the two objects.
