With everything else going on in 2020, you may have missed the story about the mysterious flying object that fell into Earth’s orbit September 2020. Not knowing exactly what it was, it was referred to as “SO 2020” and considered a “mini-moon” – a term used to describe temporary satellites.
In December, NASA researchers determined that it was actually a piece of man-made space debris: the remains of a rocket booster from the 1960s used in American Surveyor’s lunar missions. While this had been one of the possible explanations of the mini-moon since it was spotted in September, it wasn’t until it got closest to Earth on December 1. that astronomers could confirm his identity.
But if you missed the December rocket booster appearance, you’re in luck: it’s coming back this afternoon for one final farewell victory round. Here’s how to watch it.
How to watch the last runway of the mini moon / rocket booster
Today, the 1960s minimun / space debris is located 225,000 kilometers from Earth, or 58% of the distance between Earth and Moon, according to EarthSky. And while that’s not close enough to see with the naked eye, we have the chance to catch the last visit thanks to the Virtual telescope project in Rome.
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This is how the Italian astrophysicist and astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, describes today’s event:
After the extremely short fly-by last December, 2020 SO is safely getting very close again, this time to say goodbye. As we know, it is the driver of the Surveyor 2 space mission, which was temporarily conquered by our planet. Soon this artificial mini-moon will leave our neighborhood and escape into a new orbit around the sun. We say goodbye, live: come to our home!
To watch the last pass of the mini moon, tune in to the live feed of the Virtual Telescope Project here. According to Masi, it will be most visible above the group’s robotic telescopes in central Italy from 5:00 PMT.
Then what happens to the mini moon?
Although the rocket booster will no longer be visible after today, it will slowly drift and eventually leave Earth’s orbit in March 2021, after which it will orbit the sun. We wish all the best in his future endeavors.