Subscribe now

Letter: Letters : Mini-moon

Published 12 July 1997

From Stephen Sandiford

Hethersett, Norfolk

Congratulations to Paul Wiegert and his colleagues on their discovery that
asteroid 3753 is trapped in an orbit of the Earth
(In Brief, 14 June, p 13).

However, his comment that “no one had anticipated this sort of thing” is not
quite accurate. In his epic Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson, the
philosopher and science fiction writer G. I. Gurdjieff, who died in 1949, wrote
about two objects orbiting the Earth: the Moon and a small fragment which he
called Annlios.

May I respectfully suggest that this asteroid might in future become known as
“asteroid Annlios” rather than the more prosaic 3753 in recognition of
Gurdjieff’s perspicacity?

Issue no. 2090 published 12 July 1997

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop