New Mini-Moon to Orbit Earth But Won’t Stay in the Neighborhood for Long

A newly discovered mini-moon will soon orbit Earth, but it won’t be a permanent fixture in our celestial neighborhood.

The mini-moon, dubbed 2020 SO, is a small asteroid that was first spotted in September 2020.

It is thought to be about the size of a car and is currently located about 50,000 kilometers from Earth.

While this makes it the closest known near-Earth object to our planet, it is not expected to remain in orbit for long due to the gravitational pull from both Earth and the Moon. Scientists estimate that the mini-moon will only orbit Earth for about a year before being ejected back into space.

While the mini-moon is not expected to pose any threat to Earth, its discovery is providing scientists with valuable new insights into the dynamics of our solar system.

Specifically, the mini-moon's orbit is helping scientists to better understand the role that Earth's gravity plays in shaping the trajectories of objects in our solar system.

Additionally, the mini-moon's discovery is providing scientists with a unique opportunity to study a near-Earth object up close.

By studying the mini-moon's composition and structure, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the formation and evolution of our solar system.