Our Earth Just Has A Tiny Second Moon

For a very long time, we have only one natural satellite, the Moon. However, now, we may have the second, although this one is a bit small and it might not be with us for as long as the Moon is.

According to Kacper Wierzchos, a comet hunter and astronomer at Catalina Sky Survey, our Earth has just had a new captured object named 2020 CD3. He said that on the 15^th of February, he and his colleague at Catalina Sky Survey spotted a 20th magnitude object.

According to CNET, the astronomer team at Catalina Sky Survey, funded by NASA, suspected that a tiny asteroid had been caught in our planet’s gravity. This finding was later confirmed by the MPC (The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center) on Tuesday. So now we can be sure that our Earth has a temporary captured object or the second Moon.

As stated by Wierzchos, the comet got stuck in our planet’s gravity around three years ago. Its diameter is from 1.9 to 3.5 meters. Despite the tiny size, 2020 CD3 is a big deal to us as of one million asteroids we know about so far, this is the second to orbit our planet.

The first comet to enter Earth’s orbit is RH120, discovered by the same organization, Catalina Sky Survey, back in 2006. RH120 has a similar diameter with 2020 CD3 and it stayed in orbit for 18 months. Two years later, in 2008, it was given “minor planet designation.”

Astronomers are racing against the time to find out more about the asteroid. The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center said that it highly encouraged dynamical studies and observations.

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