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Astronomers are stunned by a piece of mysterious space junk that orbits Earth.
The wreck, seen only 600 kilometers above the surface of the Earth, should be known as "empty objects from the garbage bag."
It is thought to be debris leftovers from a rocket launch, but scientists are not sure which rocket launch came.
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Empty objects from garbage, or ETBOs, tend to have unpredictable orbit patterns.
They extend for several meters, but have a mass of less than one kilo.
Scientists say that this artificial satellite is probably nothing more than a piece of lightweight material, such as a metal sheet, left behind a rocket launch.
It was first discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Haleakala, Hawaii, on Friday.
Astronomers at Northolt Branch Observatories in London have analyzed the object to judge that it is an ETBO.
The Northolt Branch Observatories now refer to the Earth satellite as "A10bMLz".
The object is "extremely light" but also several meters in diameter.
The Earth satellite, known as the "A10bMLz", was first seen by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii on Friday. Northolt Observatories have found that the object (photo) is "extremely light" but several meters in diameter
A10bMLz was moving in an unusual retrograde orbit rather than progressive orbit. It is orbiting 600 km above the surface of the Earth, but reached 1.4 times from the moon
"This suggests that it is what is known as" empty trash bag object, "the Northolt Branch Observatories explained in a Facebook post.
A piece of lightweight material (probably metallic foil) left over from a rocket launch.
"It's not yet clear when the A10bMLz was released," they added.
A10bMLz further intrigued astronomers, since they noticed that it was traveling in retrograde orbit rather than progressive orbit.
"It is orbiting Earth in an anomalous and retrograde orbit at an average distance of 262,000 km," said observers at the Northolt Branch.
"The orbit is highly elliptical, with a perigee only 600 km above the surface of the Earth and a apogee 1.4 times as far away as the Moon."
Empty objects in garbage bags have been seen by astronomers many times before, but the A10bMLz surprised the Observatories of the Northolt Branch due to its very distant and unpredictable orbit.
WHAT IS SPACE JUNK?
It is estimated that 170 million pieces of so-called "space junk" – left behind after missions that may be as large as used-up rocket stages or as small as paint flakes – are in orbit alongside $ 700 billion in spatial infrastructure.
But only 22,000 are tracked, and with fragments capable of traveling at speeds over 27,000 km / h, even tiny pieces can seriously damage or destroy satellites.
However, traditional adhesion methods do not work in space because the suction cups do not work in a vacuum and the temperatures are too low for substances like tape and glue.
Magnet-based claws are useless because most debris in orbit around Earth is not magnetic.
About 500,000 pieces of man-made debris (art print) orbit our planet today, made up of disused satellites, fragments of used spaceships and rockets
Most proposed solutions, including wreck harpoons, require or cause forced interaction with the debris, which could push such objects in unintended and unpredictable directions.
Scientists point to two events that have worsened the problem of space junk.
The first was in February 2009, when an Iridium telecommunications satellite and a Russian military satellite Kosmos-2251 crashed accidentally.
The second was in January 2007, when China tested an anti-satellite weapon on a former Fengyun weather satellite.
Experts also pointed to two websites that have become worryingly confusing.
One is the Earth's low orbit, which is used by satnav satellites, ISS, manned missions from China and the Hubble telescope, among others.
The other is in geostationary orbit and is used by communications, meteorological and surveillance satellites that must maintain a fixed position relative to the Earth.
Empty objects in garbage bags have been seen by astronomers many times before, but the A10bMLz surprised them due to their very distant orbit, noted the Observatories of the Northolt Branch.
The Pluto project, which makes the planetary software, compared the object's orbit to that of a plastic bag.
The unpredictable orbit of A10bMLz is probably one of several reasons why astronomers are having trouble figuring out where the object came from.
"At the moment, we have no idea of the origin of this object," said the Pluto project.
This is mainly because their past trajectory is really uncertain. As with an empty trash bag on the street, it can zigzag in unpredictable ways.
Predicting the trajectory of the artificial satellite is currently impossible. Astronomers believe the object may burn after re-entry into Earth's atmosphere within a few months
"… I do not see any recent lunar flight and do not speculate on when it can hit the Earth or the Moon or leave the Earth-Moon system," they continued.
Because the object is so light, Northholt Branch Observatories said the object is easily pushed by the pressure of solar radiation.
This changes your orbit chaotically in time scales from days to weeks, making it impossible to predict which direction it will move in the future.
In addition, Northolt Branch Observatories believe that the object may burn in the Earth's atmosphere within a few months.
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