--- title: "Astronomers: Our Planet Might Have Another Moon, Except It’s Tiny" description: "A team of astronomers at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey suspect there's a small asteroid that caught itself in our planet's gravity, like a moon." date: "2020-02-26" modified: "2020-02-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronomers-earth-new-moon-tiny" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "asteroid" - "earth" - "near earth asteroid" - "the digest" --- # Astronomers: Our Planet Might Have Another Moon, Except It’s Tiny ![A team of astronomers at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey suspect there's a small asteroid that caught itself in our planet's gravity, like a moon.]() *\Image: Kevin Gill via Flickr/Victor Tangermann\* ## Mini-Moon The Earth might have a second Moon — albeit a tiny and temporary one. "Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3," wrote Kacper Wierzchos, astronomer and self-described "comet hunter" at the Catalina Sky Survey, in a [Tuesday tweet](). "On the night of Feb. 15, my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Teddy Pruyne and I found a 20th magnitude object." ## Captured! A team of astronomers at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey near Tuscon, Arizona suspect there's a small asteroid that caught itself in our planet's gravity, as [*CNET* reports](). The discovery was confirmed when The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center ([MPC]()) [announced]() on Tuesday that Earth has a new "temporary captured object." According to Wierzchos, the comet entered Earth's orbit about three years ago. It's diameter is between 1.9 and 3.5 meters (6.2 and 11.5 feet). Despite its tiny size, "it's a big deal as out of \~ 1 million known asteroids, this is just the second asteroid known to orbit Earth," Wierzchos noted in a [follow-up tweet](). ## Minor Planet The first asteroid to be discovered orbiting our planet was RH120, also discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in 2006. It featured a similar diameter, stayed in orbit for 18 months, and [was later given]() "minor planet designation" in 2008. Astronomers are now racing to find out more about the unusual space rock. "Further observations and dynamical studies are strongly encouraged," wrote the MPC in its announcement. **READ MORE:** [Astronomers say Earth might have a new mini-moon]() \[*CNET*\] **More on asteroids:** *[Europe’s Space Agency Joins Mission to Deflect Killer Asteroids]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()