Strange ‘Equal Mass’ Binary Asteroid Found Near Earth

By Amber Jorgenson
Jul 13, 2018 7:42 PMNov 13, 2019 3:15 PM
Arecibo Asteroid - NASA
Researchers discovered a near-Earth object in December 2017 that would soon make its closest approach to Earth for the next 170 years. Observations during its flyby revealed it to be something more extraordinary than expected — a pair of equal-mass objects. (Credit: Arecibo/GBO/NSF/NASA/JPL-Caltech)

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More than 18,000 near-Earth asteroids have been identified, and all of them are thought to be remnants of our solar system’s formation. They each have their own unique structure and properties. But despite their distinct variations, we still come across an oddball every once in awhile. On June 26, two separate teams of scientists confirmed an unusual “equal mass” binary asteroid cruising past Earth — one of only four ever discovered.

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