As of yesterday afternoon, Earth has two natural moons!

Kinda! And not for long!

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/earth-has-a-second-moon-sorta

Earth has a second moon! Sorta!

The asteroid 2024 PT5 will orbit Earth for about two months before unmooning us

Bad Astronomy Newsletter
The new moon, called 2024 PT5, is a small asteroid about 10 meters across, and many hundreds of thousands of kilometers from us, so it's far too small to see without a powerful telescope. But it's still a cool story, and shows how space is weirder than you think. πŸ˜€
@badastro The prophecy's of the great Duran's are fulfilled with the announcement of this New Moon on Monday.
@badastro
Showed up just in time for the new moon, glad to hear confirmation that it's really happened
πŸŒ‘
@badastro Astronomers are excited. Astrologists even more so.

@Szescstopni @badastro Asteroid astrology is unfortunately* a thing.

via @sundogplanets : https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/113221713420480880

*Unfortunately for my spam folder.

@michael_w_busch @badastro @sundogplanets Yes, I am aware of this. Scam is all around. I wonder how much medieval and renaissance astronomy was funded by donors who expected to find out about their fate :)
@badastro i have an image of a funny little rock pulling up its pants and heading back out into space.
@badastro Science is Cool! πŸ‘
@badastro Also does that mean Werewolves have to work double shifts?
@badastro that’s a lot of reading (limited screen time). Is it going to be visible worldwide or just America?
@badastro Oh, the mirror video was just amazing. A-maze-ing. Wow.
@badastro So a planet needs to have cleared its orbit, but a moon can be as temporary as 2 months? You astronomers need better definitions.