Asteroid 2026 QQ8 temporary Earth mini-moon, Digi Mart USA News: The Minor Planet Center (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has confirmed that Earth has a second, tiny companion besides the Moon. According to the British online outlet The Independent, the asteroid 2026 QQ8 was captured by Earth’s gravity months ago and has been orbiting the planet since then.
Hungarian astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky discovered the object on August 20. Classifying it took weeks, because it was initially unclear whether it was a natural rock or discarded space debris.
Only additional observations provided clarity.
According to the astronomy portal EarthSky, the object had already entered Earth’s sphere of influence at the end of April, about four months before Sárneczky discovered it.
With a diameter of roughly one to two meters, 2026 QQ8 is extremely small. Its orbit around Earth is not a uniform circle but a wide, irregular loop.
At its closest approach, it comes within about 568,000 kilometers of the planet, roughly one and a half times the average distance between Earth and the Moon.
Mini-moons are usually small asteroids only a few meters across. Their stays near Earth often last weeks or months, and sometimes longer.
Importantly, mini-moons are not true second moons but temporary companions of Earth.
The asteroid is not visible to the naked eye. Its brightness lies far below the visibility threshold, even for powerful amateur telescopes, according to reports.
Nor does the object pose a threat to Earth. Even if it were on a collision course, a body of this size would burn up completely upon entering the atmosphere, according to the portal space.com.
How long will 2026 QQ8 remain a companion of Earth? The object is expected to stay gravitationally bound to the planet until the end of 2026.
It is expected to break free in December and continue its journey around the Sun in 2027.
Earth has hosted short-term companions like this several times before. Known predecessors include the asteroids 2020 CD3 and 2024 PT5.
The latter accompanied Earth for just under two months in autumn 2024. A research team led by Robert Jedicke of the University of Hawaii estimated that at any given time, at least six such small objects could statistically be orbiting Earth.
The average stay is about nine months.
