Smallest quasi-satellite of Earth

Smallest quasi-satellite of Earth
Who
(469219) Kamoʻoalewa
What
40–100 metre(s)
Where
Not Applicable
When
27 April 2016

On 27 April 2016, the Pan-STARRS 1 asteroid survey telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, USA, discovered a small asteroid estimated to measure around 40–100 m across. Named (469219) Kamoʻoalewa, this asteroid is the latest quasi-satellite of Earth to have been discovered to date, bringing its total number of quasi-satellites to four. It orbits the Sun in exactly one year, during which time it loops around Earth, trailing the planet for half of its orbit and leading it for the other half. During this "orbital dance" with Earth, the asteroid never approaches closer than 14.5 million km and never recedes to further than 38.6 million km. Analysis of its orbit suggests that Kamoʻoalewa has been a quasi-satellite of Earth for nearly 100 years and should remain so for hundreds of years into the future.

The asteroid was known by the provisional designation "(469219) 2016 HO3" until 6 Apr 2019, when its current name was approved by the Minor Planet Center. The name is the Hawaiian word for a spinning object in the night sky.