Asteroid 2002 AA29 (also written 2002 AA29) is a near-Earth asteroid discovered in January 2002 by the LINEAR asteroid survey. The asteroid follows a "horseshoe orbit" that makes it come near the Earth every 95 years as it follows Earth's orbit around the Sun and will, in nearly 600 years, appear to orbit the planet. It measures about 60 metres across.
Quasi-satellite orbit of 2002 AA
29 viewed from Earth's co-rotating frame. Illustration by Paul Wiegert.
On January 8, 2003, the asteroid came within approximately 5.9 Gm (3.7 million miles) of Earth, its closest approach for almost a century.
Richard Gott and Edward Belbruno from Princeton University have speculated that 2002 AA29 might have formed together with Earth and Theia, the postulated planet that, according to the Giant Impact theory collided with Earth in its early history.
The orbit of the asteroid makes it relatively easy to retrieve rock samples and bring them to Earth for analysis.
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