That's no moon -- it's a mini-moon.
Actually, it's an asteroid named 2020 CD3 and it was discovered by two research specialists for Catalina Sky Survey. The NASA-funded project is at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tuscon.
Researchers Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne said the asteroid -- about 6-11 feet in diameter -- was observed on Feb. 15. Wierzchos shared his discovery on Twitter, saying the find was a "big deal" because this is just the second asteroid known to orbit Earth.
Wierzchos also said asteroid 2020 CD3 entered Earth's orbit about three years ago. According to Phys.org, the mini-moon is not in a stable orbit and is not likely to be hanging around Earth for very long.
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Minor Planet Center announced the discovery this week.
"Orbit integrations...indicate that this object is temporarily bound to the Earth," the center said. "No link to a known artificial object has been found. Further observations and dynamical studies are strongly encouraged."
Despite the asteroid being roughly the size of a small car, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the mini-moon is not the Tesla Roadster he launched into space in 2018. That car is now orbiting the sun.
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