🌕 Earth has more than one moon

We all know Earth’s Moon — the glowing orb that shapes our tides and myths. But our “moon” is in fact one of around seven objects.

Astronomers have discovered several “quasi-moons”. These are small asteroids that orbit the Sun in step with Earth, creating the illusion that they orbit us too. They’re like gravitational hitchhikers, looping in and out of our planet’s pull.

One such body, 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, about 50 metres wide, has been following Earth for centuries. It drifts between us and the Moon’s orbit, tracing a corkscrew-like path through space.

Unlike the Moon, these companions come and go, sometimes staying for decades before drifting away.