Earth will have a second moon this fall

According to a study published this week by the American Astronomical Society, Earth’s gravity is expected to pull an asteroid into orbit in two months. This means the bus-sized asteroid will become Earth’s “mini moon.”

The asteroid will be in Earth's orbit between September 29 and November 25, then return to the asteroid belt around the Sun.

“The object that will visit us belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt, a secondary belt of space rocks that moves in an orbit very similar to Earth’s,” said Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos of the Complutense University of Madrid, who led the study.

Mr. Carlos de la Fuente Marcos explained that some asteroids in the Arjuna belt could come close to Earth, at a distance of 4.5 million km.

If their speed is low, around 3,540km/h, their journey could be strongly influenced by the Earth's magnetic field. Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos said that under such conditions, the asteroid could become a temporary moon of the Earth. However, he added that it would not follow a full orbit around the Earth.

The asteroid was discovered on August 7. It is 10 meters long and has a diameter of about 3,474 kilometers. Scientists predict that this “mini-moon” will return to Earth’s orbit in 2055.

This is also not Earth's first "mini Moon" as similar events have occurred in 1981 and 2022.