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The period makes 2019 LF6 the record holder for the shortest year of any object smaller than a planet. The asteroid measures 1 km (0.6 km) in diameter, which makes it relatively big for an asteroid. The orbit is also unusual because it traverses the space in an elliptical loop that sees it closer to the Sun than Mercury, the planet closest to the star of our solar system at a given moment, and further than the next, Venus, at another stage.
As reported by CNET, Quanzhi Ye of Caltech, who discovered the asteroid, issued a statement saying, "One-kilometer-sized asteroids are not common today.
"Now that most of the larger objects have been found, the bigger ones are rare birds.
"Its unique orbit explains why such a big asteroid has escaped decades of careful research."
2019 LF6, was discovered at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego.
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The observatory has also discovered another asteroid called Atira this year.
Asira asteroids are designated as such, their orbit being entirely located in the Earth's orbit.
2019 AQ3 and 2019 LF6 are the 19th and 20th celestial objects to be spotted.
Tom Prince, a physics professor who works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, has formulated the following theory: "This suggests that he was once thrown out of the solar plane because he was too close Venus or Mercury. "
NASA has proposed a mission called Near Earth Object Camera, which would specifically search for Atira asteroids.
Most asteroids are found deeper in space, beyond the next planet, from Earth, Mars.
A large asteroid belt lies between Mars and the fifth planet from The Sun, the gas giant Jupiter.
The total weight of the belt is 22% that of Pluto.
Four asteroids, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygiea make up about half the weight of the belt.
Ceres is big enough to be classified as a dwarf planet.
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