Earth is about to get a temporary companion — a "mini moon". It will be briefly caught by Earth’s gravity as it passes by on Sunday, orbiting the planet for around two months before moving on.
Representative Image: Small asteroid to become Earth's mini moon for 57 days.
No, this mini moon won't be visible to the naked eye or through amateur telescopes from any part of Earth. However, "it can be observed with relatively large, research-grade telescopes," said astronomer Carlos de la Fuente Marcos.
Are mini moons rare?
According to Richard Binzel, an astronomer at MIT, they are likely more common than we realise. The last known mini moon was detected in 2020.
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"This happens with some frequency, but we rarely see them because they're very small and very hard to detect," he said. "Only recently has our survey capability reached the point of spotting them routinely."
Where did this mini moon come from?
Astronomer Richard Binzel said it's unclear whether the space rock is an asteroid or “a chunk of the moon that got blasted out.”
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Home/World News/Earth to get temporary 'mini moon' tonight: Will it be visible from India?
