Mini-Moon Detected Around Earth
Scientists discovered what’s basically a Tamagotchi of celestial bodies: a mini-moon orbiting Earth. This little hunk of space rock was first spotted on Feb. 15 (incidentally, this is Brian’s birthday, so big thanks to the astronomers for the delightful present) by researchers at the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona. Mini-moons show up on rare occasions after getting captured by Earth’s gravity. About the size of a car, the mini-moon was chilling around Earth for about three years until astronomers identified it. It turns out they caught a glimpse of it just in time; by April, it escaped Earth’s pull and continued its normal trip around the Sun.
