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Although the Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, there are a number of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with orbits that are in resonance with Earth. These have been called "second" moons of Earth or "minimoons". [2] [3] 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, an asteroid discovered on 27 April 2016, is possibly the most stable quasi-satellite of Earth. [4]
Some 4.5 billion years ago, when Earth was only 100 million years old or so, a Mars-sized protoplanet named Theia smashed into our planet, ejecting loads that eventually returned to the Earth’s ...
Earth is getting a temporary second "mini moon," a.k.a. the 2024 PT5 asteroid. Here's how you can see it and if it will affect your astrological star sign.
Irregular moons are probably minor planets that have been captured from surrounding space. Most irregular moons are less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in diameter. The earliest published discovery of a moon other than Earth's was by Galileo Galilei, who discovered the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610. Over the following three ...
A small number of asteroids have been found which are co-orbital with Earth. The first of these to be discovered, asteroid 3753 Cruithne, orbits the Sun with a period slightly less than one Earth year, resulting in an orbit that (from the point of view of Earth) appears as a bean-shaped orbit centered on a position ahead of the position of ...
Earth currently has an estimated seven quasi-moons—one of which, Kamo‘oalewa, is thought to be a chunk of the moon. Occasionally, Earth will even capture mini-moons, or tiny asteroids that are ...
The Solar System does not have an official double planet, however the Earth–Moon system is sometimes considered to be one. In promotional materials advertising the SMART-1 mission, the European Space Agency referred to the Earth–Moon system as a double planet. [3] Several dwarf planet candidates can be described as binary planets.
All except Mercury and Venus have natural satellites, often called "moons". Earth has one, Mars has two, and the giant planets have numerous moons in complex planetary-type systems. Except for Ceres and Sedna, all the consensus dwarf planets are known to have at least one moon as well.