Why in News?

• Kamo’oalewa: The asteroid is roughly the size of a Ferris wheel – between 150 and 190 feet in diameter – and gets as close as about 9 million miles from Earth.

About Kamo’oalewa:

• In 2006, the PanSTARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted a quasi-satellite — a near-Earth object that orbits the Sun and yet remains close to the Earth. Scientists named it Kamo’oalewa, a word that is part of a Hawaiian chant, and alludes to an offspring that travels on its own. 
• Because of its small size (about 50 metres wide), this quasi-satellite has been difficult for scientists to study, and little was known about it so far. 
• Now, a study in the journal Communications Earth and Environment offers insights into where this satellite could have come from.

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/this-word-means-kamooalewa-7622853/