5. The minimoon
Found Year: 2020
Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy made the discovery.
Location: Earth’s orbit
The term “minimoons” describes small objects in Earth’s orbit. Minimoons are typically difficult to distinguish from common space debris, and in order to even classify them as minimoons in the first place, rigorous and persistent observation is needed. Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy just identified a second minimoon in 2020.
Fernando Astasio Avila/Shutterstock, “Minimoon”
The size of a refrigerator, CD3 is a naturally occurring object that was detected by astronomers at the IfA circling around Earth. The remnants of a large asteroid, known as CD3, are circling the Sun between Jupiter and Mars. We will feel the impact of this small object if it breaks out of Earth’s orbit and collides with us.
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