Author Topic: This 'Empty Trash Bag' Is Orbiting Earth in a Very Strange Way  (Read 835 times)

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This 'Empty Trash Bag' Is Orbiting Earth in a Very Strange Way
« on: January 31, 2019, 12:59:53 pm »
Live Science By Stephanie Pappas 1/30/2019

 A bizarre object orbiting Earth is reminding astronomers of an empty trash bag.

The unusual satellite is trekking around the planet in an almost absurd ellipse, dipping as close as 372.8 miles (600 kilometers) from the surface and then swinging out to a distance of 334,460 miles (538,261 km), or 1.4 times the average distance of the Earth to the moon.

According to Northolt Branch Observatories in London, the object is a light piece of material left over from a rocket launch. What it will do next is anyone's guess. [How Much Space Junk Hits Earth?]

Scientists dubbed it A10bMLz. According to the Northolt Branch Observatories, it's what is known as an "empty trash bag object." That means it is large enough to be spotted, but very light. Scientists at the London observatory calculated that A10bMLz is several meters in width, but weighs less than 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram).

More: https://www.livescience.com/64631-empty-trash-bag-space-debris.html