 Is that it right for us? Talk to Caverns! Usually my space pods deal with celestial events that have previously happened, say, months ago, years, decades, millennia. But this one is dealing with an event that's happened just a few hours after the posting of this space pod. And if you're like me, you were probably asleep. But you may have been going through your everyday tasks. And while you were doing that, the Earth was hit by an object that we had tracked. The object in question was called WT-1190F. It was discovered just last month on October 3rd, 2015. But previous data shows that it was also seen on February 18th and November 29th in the year 2013. During the observation this previous October, it was found to be a highly unusual object as it wasn't passing the Earth, but was clearly in orbit around our planet, from about the geosynchronous satellites out to just about as far away as the Moon. As scientists poured through all the data they could find, it turns out that this object, whatever it is, has been in orbit around the Earth since at least 2009. But if a potential asteroid moon of Earth wasn't weird enough for you, it may not actually be an asteroid. A density estimate of WT-1190F shows that it weighs approximately less than a tenth of a gram per cubic centimeter, which is significantly below the density of an asteroid or a comet, and the proximity of its orbit has us thinking that it could actually be leftovers of a lunar mission's rocket. And this is the first image of WT-1190F cascading through the Earth's atmosphere. But this isn't the first time we've spotted a piece of space junk near the Earth. Back in 2002, an object designated J002E3 swung around the Earth on an unusual trajectory. A spectral analysis of this close by object revealed a startling composition, aluminum and titanium dioxide. That's the material and the chemical composition of the paint that covered a Saturn V rocket. The conclusion from this evidence is that J002E3 was not a natural object, but the jettison third stage from Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket. Every 40 years, its orbit brings it close enough to be captured into Earth orbit and then flung back out into the solar system, only to be recaptured 40 years later. Also, WT-1190F isn't the first object we've spotted before it hit the Earth either. A small asteroid was discovered on October 6, 2008 and quickly designated 2008 TC-3. And when its orbital parameters were figured, it was heading on a collision course with Earth, only 19 hours after its discovery. Luckily, it wasn't very big, only a few meters in size. But it was predicted that pieces of it should make it to the ground. So on October 7, 2008, the scientific community waited to see and 2008 TC-3 delivered. It exploded before it hit the ground, but a sizable amount of fresh, meteoric material was collected and studied intensely, allowing us to understand the processes of atmospheric reentry and the dynamics of what happens when an object similar to it may be on a course to hit Earth. On January 1, 2014, an object a few meters in size was actually spotted 21 hours before its collision with Earth. They named it 2014AA. And unfortunately we weren't able to recover any pieces of it because it exploded over the Atlantic Ocean. But we did study its entry and we did get a good amount of data to learn from that. And we almost certainly recall the Chelyabinsk meteorite, the largest object to enter the Earth's atmosphere in over a century. About 20 meters across, it exploded mid-air before it could reach the surface. The resulting energy release was equivalent to 500 kilotons of TNT, injuring nearly 1,500 people and damaging thousands of buildings and thankfully no fatalities. Thanks for watching this Facepod. I'm Jared Head. Are there any impact events that you happen to like? Well, let us know in the comments. And also don't forget to like and subscribe to us on social media. And a big, big, big shout out to all of our patrons on Patreon who are helping bring these Facepods to all of you. And if you'd like to help contribute, we're always more than welcome to have you more people come on board. So, until the next Facepod, keep exploring.