After an Asteroid Zoomed By Earth Monday, Scientists Made Curious Observation in Radar Images

After examining the first radar images of the asteroid that raced by Earth Monday, scientists have determined that the space rock had its own small moon, NASA said in a statement.

The moon was about 230-feet across, the space agency said, noting that radar is a powerful tool for studying key aspects of asteroids.

The 1,100-foot wide asteroid flew by our planet at 11:19 a.m. ET, marking the last time a known asteroid that size will pass by our planet until 2027.

The radar images were captured by NASA's 230-foot-wide Deep Space Network antenna which is located in Goldstone, California.

The resolution on the photographs is 13 feet per pixel, the space agency said.

(H/T: Mashable)

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Featured image and gif courtesy of NASA.