Published : 10 Nov 2026, 12:35 AM
Updated : 10 Nov 2026, 12:35 AM
A new "lilliputian" mini-moon has been captured by Earth’s gravitational pull and is currently orbiting the planet.
The space rock, designated Asteroid 2026 QQ8, fell into Earth’s gravity in April and has entered a looping orbit around the planet, reports The Independent.
First detected in August by Hungarian astronomer Kriztián Sárneczky, the discovery was recently published by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.
Measuring approximately two metres in diameter, the asteroid typically orbits the Sun every 359 days and poses no risk of collision with Earth, maintaining a minimum distance of roughly 568,000 kilometres -- around 1.5 times the distance to our Moon.
Astronomers expect the object to complete one and a half revolutions around Earth before escaping its orbit in 2027, according to the Independent.
Research indicates that such events are relatively common,with studies suggesting Earth may host up to six temporary mini-moons at any given time, many of which are fragments blasted off the Moon during historic impact events.
