Simulations show that Earth's quasi-satellite Kamooarewa may have been a piece of moon debris

The asteroid Kamooarewa is called a quasi-satellite because it appears to revolve around the Earth like the moon. It was suggested that this Kamoo-Arewa might be a piece of the moon, but simulations revealed that ``it is possible that a piece of the moon could actually obtain the orbit of a quasi-satellite.''

Lunar ejecta origin of near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa is compatible with rare orbital pathways | Communications Earth & Environment
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-01031-w

Researchers probe how a piece of the moon became a near-Earth asteroid | University of Arizona News
https://news.arizona.edu/story/researchers-probe-how-piece-moon-became-near-earth-asteroid

Kamooarewa is a celestial body discovered in 2016, and in 2017 it was determined that it is an asteroid that revolves around the Earth like the moon.

The identity of the celestial body that orbits the earth like a 'second moon' is revealed - GIGAZINE

This celestial body was named ``Kamo'oalewa'', which means ``vibrating star'' in Hawaiian, because it traces an orbit that appears to be vibrating and revolving when viewed from Earth. Additionally, a 2021 study found that the reflected light spectrum of this Kamooarewa matched the moon rocks brought back by the Apollo mission, suggesting that the moon fragment may have become a quasi-satellite. .

The possibility that the near-Earth asteroid 'Kamooarewa' is a 'piece of the moon' has emerged - GIGAZINE

The orbit of Kamooarewa can be seen in the following movie.

Asteroid 2016 HO3 - Earth's Constant Companion - YouTube


A research team at the University of Arizona focused on the possibility that lunar debris ejected from the lunar surface by a meteor impact could enter a subsatellite orbit. Renu Malhotra, a planetary scientist who led the research team, said that although the moon is constantly bombarded by meteorites, there is enough kinetic energy for lunar debris to escape from the Earth-Moon gravitational system. Therefore, the lunar debris generated during the collision usually falls directly onto the moon. Furthermore, even if it were to escape from the gravitational system, its kinetic energy would be too large to obtain a quasi-satellite orbit, so it is extremely unlikely that a piece of the moon would become a quasi-satellite of the Earth. It seems he was thinking about it.

However, when calculating the gravity of all the planets in the solar system by inputting it into a computer simulation, it seems that it was found that some of the moon's fragments may be able to obtain the orbit of the Earth's dwarf planet. According to the research team, Kamooarewa may be one of the pieces of debris ejected by meteors hitting the moon over the past several million years.

The research team plans to investigate the conditions under which Kamooarewa was able to obtain its unique orbit. They will also determine the exact age of Camo-oarewa and investigate the origin of the moon. Malhotra said, ``Kamo-o-Arewa's unique orbit led us to analyze its spectrum, suggesting that it may be a piece of lunar debris.If Kamoo-Arewa was a typical near-Earth asteroid, no one would have been able to understand its spectrum. 'I wouldn't have thought to look at it, and I wouldn't have known that Kamooarewa could be a piece of the moon.'