The scientists you are referring to have made significant progress in understanding the origins of near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are asteroids and comets that orbit the sun closer than 121 million miles. A study was able to track the origins of a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid back to the far side of the moon. Using detailed simulations and calculations, they estimated the probable impact location, speed, and angle of such an event.
The researchers found that this particular asteroid likely came from the lunar South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest and oldest impact craters in the solar system, which covers a large portion of the moon’s far side. Understanding the origins of near-Earth objects is crucial in order to better assess the risk that they might pose to our planet in the future.
