This fall, the Earth will have a second "Moon" for a short time, The Guardian reports.
According to the study, an asteroid about the size of a city bus will capture the gravitational pull of the Earth, it will orbit our planet from September 29 to November 25, turning into a "mini-moon". And then it will return "home" – to the asteroid belt orbiting the Sun.
"This asteroid belongs to the Arjuna belt, a group of space objects that move in orbits similar to those of Earth," said Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid and lead author of the study.
According to him, some asteroids from the Arjuna belt can approach the Earth at a distance of about 4.5 million kilometers. At a speed of about 3,540 kilometers per hour, the gravity of the Earth significantly affects their movement, which can lead to the asteroid temporarily settling into our orbit and becoming a satellite of the planet.
However, only owners of professional telescopes will be able to observe the "mini-satellite". Amateur instruments and binoculars will not be able to see it – the asteroid will be too small and dim for them, reports informburo.kz.
