Earth has captured a temporary satellite designated 2026 QQ8. The space rock entered orbit around Earth in April 2026 and was first observed in August 2026. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center reported the discovery on October 29.
QQ8 will remain in Earth's orbit through December before breaking away in 2027. Scientists have mapped its path, finding it takes 359 days to orbit the sun, or about 0.98 of an Earth year. The object approaches Earth closely once every ten years, but this time came close enough for Earth to gravitationally capture it.
During its stay, QQ8 will reach a minimum distance of around 353,000 miles (568,000 kilometers) from Earth. That is approximately 110,000 miles (177,000 kilometers) further than the average Earth-moon distance. The mini-moon measures around 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter. Should it ever enter Earth's atmosphere, it would burn up completely and never reach the surface.
This marks one of multiple temporary satellites Earth can host. Research from last year suggested our planet could be orbited by as many as six mini-moons at any given time, with many being fragments from the moon. Modeling conducted earlier this year indicated the average temporary satellite is 75 centimeters (30 inches) across and remains in orbit for approximately nine months. QQ8 is larger than that average size.