Earth had a temporary mini-moon that was a chunk of the real moon
There may be more moon-born asteroids near Earth than we thought
ESA/P.Carril
A huge rock orbiting near Earth appears to have originated from the moon, the second such object known to exist, with maybe more than a dozen awaiting discovery.
The asteroid, called 2024 PT5, is about 10 metres wide. Spotted in August, it was later snared by Earth’s gravitational pull, becoming a second moon of our planet, referred to as a mini-moon, between September and November.
Re-examining the asteroid, Teddy Kareta at Lowell Observatory…
