An asteroid (2010 SO16) has been discovered that has trailed the Earth in an almost identical orbit to ours for a quarter-million years. Karen Hopkin reports

When you hear about asteroids close to the Earth, you probably have visions of [--1--] and extinctions and a postapocalyptic future. Or of brave space cowboys trying to [--2--] course. You probably don’t picture a puppy that’s followed you home. But astronomers have found just that: an asteroid that’s been on Earth’s tail for at least a quarter of a million years. The observations were published by the Royal Astronomical Society.

The asteroid was first spotted during a [--3--] performed by a satellite. But it was the asteroid’s earthlike orbit that really got the astronomers’ attention. The object’s orbit is virtually the same distance from the sun as is the Earth’s. And unlike most near-Earth asteroids—whose [--4--], egg-shaped orbits take them straight through the solar system—this asteroid’s orbit’s almost circular. So it seems to be following in our footsteps, although it’s never come closer than about 50 times the distance to the moon.

Where this companion came from is anybody’s guess. It could be left over from the same material that made our planet. Which would make it less like a puppy and more like an [--5--]. One we hope will never hit us.
【視聽(tīng)版科學(xué)小組榮譽(yù)出品】
collisions knock them off routine survey eccentric annoying sibling
當(dāng)聽(tīng)到小行星靠近地球時(shí),你腦海中可能會(huì)浮現(xiàn)小行星撞擊,物種滅絕的世界末日后的場(chǎng)景, 或者是太空牛仔消滅它們的場(chǎng)景. 但你肯定不會(huì)想到一只小狗跟著你回家的畫(huà)面. 但是, 天文學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)一顆小行星尾隨地球已有至少25萬(wàn)年歷史. 該觀測(cè)結(jié)果由英國(guó)皇家天文學(xué)會(huì)發(fā)布. 這顆小行星由一顆衛(wèi)星執(zhí)行例行監(jiān)測(cè)時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn), 而正是它的類(lèi)地軌道激起了天文學(xué)家們的興趣. 該天體到太陽(yáng)的軌道距離與地球到太陽(yáng)的距離幾乎一致. 但是, 和其他近地小行星不一樣的是, 這些小行星的離心雞蛋型軌道帶著它們?cè)谔?yáng)系中穿梭, 而這顆小行星的軌道接近圓形, 看起來(lái)似乎在追隨地球的軌跡, 但是距離始終保持在月地距離的50倍以上. 所有人都在猜想這個(gè)"小東西"從何處而來(lái). 這顆小行星有可能是地球形成后剩余的物質(zhì), 只是不太像是地球的"小跟班",到更像是一個(gè)惹人討厭的"兄弟",希望不要來(lái)個(gè)"親密接觸"才好.