Earth’s ‘Mini-Moon’ Might Be a Chunk of the Actual Moon—and It’s About to Disappear

Remember the “mini-moon” that’s been orbiting Earth for the past few months? Yeah, that might have been a chunk of Earth’s actual Moon—and it’s about to disappear until 2055.

While we might not have been able to see this additional moon, some of us lunar lovers were awed by the idea of a second, albeit temporary, moon. And as it says its final farewell before surrendering to the sun’s gravitational pull, we’re learning the asteroid might have been part of our main Moon, after all.

NASA previously noted that this “mini-moon” wasn’t ever really a “moon” by definition. (It was never fully in Earth’s orbit). But it might have been a boulder blasted off our moon by an asteroid, according to astronomers. That’s a bit frightening to think about, but it’s actually completely harmless.

Mini-moons aren’t rare but have come to the forefront in recent years as they have become more easily observed by scientists.

“This happens with some frequency, but we rarely see them because they’re very small and very hard to detect,” said Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, per AP News. “Only recently has our survey capability reached the point of spotting them routinely.”

While this notable mini-moon will be out of Earth’s orbit soon, it will be back for a quick visit in January after a much-needed holiday vacation in the sun. (I’m kinda jealous).

Then, we likely won’t hear of it again until 2055—and who knows what will be going on in the cosmos by then?