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New ‘Mini-Moon' Orbiting Earth — for Now, Astronomers Say

The object measures about 6 feet to 11 feet across, and its orbit suggests that it entered Earth’s orbit around three years ago

New Mini Moon
UNIV OF ARIZONA LUNAR AND PLANETARY LAB

A visiting mini-moon is circling Earth, according to astronomers who discovered the cosmic squatter in our planet’s orbit.

The tiny asteroid, dubbed 2020 CD3, was spotted by astronomers in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 15.

“BIG NEWS,” Kacper Wierzchos, a researcher with the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab, tweeted Tuesday. “Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On the night of Feb. 15, my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Teddy Pruyne and I found a 20th magnitude object.”

Wierzchos said the object measures about 6 feet to 11 feet across, and its orbit suggests that it entered Earth’s orbit around three years ago.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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