A small natural object, referred as a ‘mini moon’ that has been orbiting Earth since September is about to disappear and won’t return until 2055.
Although, Earth has just one natural moon, a second object has been following our planet for the past few months.
As per Sky News, the harmless space rock, which scientists think might be a piece of the actual moon, was first detected in August.
Despite its nickname, NASA clarified that it was never captured by Earth’s gravity nor fully entered into the orbit.
It is expected to detach from Earth on Monday as the sun’s gravitational pull grows stronger.
Astrophysicist brothers, Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, from Complutense University of Madrid, first identified the asteroid's "mini moon behaviour".
Data indicates that in roughly 30 years, the sun-orbiting asteroid will return and make a temporary, partial orbit around Earth and will be travelling at more than twice its current speed.
The mini moon, measuring about 33 feet in width and located at a great distance, was never visible to the naked eye and only observable through powerful telescopes.
NASA stated that it will track the asteroid for more than a week in January, when it is predicted to briefly reappear, using the Goldstone solar system radar antenna in California's Mojave Desert, part of the Deep Space Network.
