A visiting mini-moon is circling Earth, according to astronomers who discovered the cosmic squatter in our planet’s orbit.
The cosmic interloper was officially catalogued by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center on Tuesday. The center, founded in 1947, collects observational data on asteroids and comets and other natural satellites in the solar system., the IAU said observations “indicate that this object is temporarily bound to Earth.” The organization added: “No evidence of perturbations due to solar radiation pressure is seen, and no link to a known artificial object has been found.
The last asteroid to get caught in Earth’s orbit was 2006 RH120. The space rock, which orbits the sun and passes close to Earth every few decades, was captured by the planet’s gravity in June 2006 and stayed until around September 2007, before it swung back out into the solar system. More information about the mini-moon could be revealed in the coming weeks and months, as astronomers continue to observe the object.
The Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded project, aims to scan the cosmos to discover and track near-Earth objects, particularly those that could pose a threat to Earth.
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