Earth is about to get its own asteroid 'mini-moon', but only for a short time
A bus-sized asteroid is currently hurtling through our patch of the Solar System, but far from being a threat, a new study suggests the space rock will become Earth's companion for a couple of months. This means that for almost two months, the asteroid will be temporarily captured in Earth's orbit, before being flung back out into the Solar System. A mini-moon has to be in orbital resonance with Earth — meaning that the two objects need to exert regular gravitational influence on each other's orbit. As mini-moons are a relatively new phenomenon, Professor Bland suggests groups such as the International Astronomical Union may eventually decide whether an asteroid needs to be in Earth's gravity for at least one orbit to classify as a mini-moon.
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