• superkret@feddit.org
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    2 months ago

    An asteroid called 2020 CD3 was bound to Earth for several years before leaving the planet’s orbit in 2020

    How can something that’s in an orbit for years then just leave again?
    Is the orbit so big it crosses other planets’ sphere of influence?
    Or is its apoapsis far enough away for the sun to snatch it away?

    • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 months ago

      Gravitational interactions between Earth, Moon, Sun leading to the orbit never really being stable, probably. The asteroid decided Earth orbit wasn’t its’ forever home.

      • bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Its also very hard to get an object into the perfect orbit that it wont float away. Our moon is slowly drifting farther and farther from us