A space rock called Kamoʻoalewa may be a piece of the moon

New observations reveal the quasisatellite of Earth could be wreckage of a lunar impact

illustration of the space rock Kamoʻoalewa drifting above the moon, with Earth in view in the distance

A space rock named Kamoʻoalewa (illustrated drifting above the moon, with Earth in the background) may be a fragment of lunar material that broke off in an ancient cratering event.

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The moon’s violent history is written across its face. Over billions of years, space rocks have punched craters into its surface, flinging out debris.