According to NASA, this second moon has been orbiting Earth for nearly a century and was found in a solar orbit. It is a small asteroid that Earth’s gravity has captured, and it is located about 38 times farther from Earth than the distance between Earth and the Moon.
The second moon of Earth is named 2016 HO3.
Named 2016 HO3, the second moon was discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope located in Haleakala, Hawaii. This telescope specializes in studying asteroids and has measured the orbit of 2016 HO3 to take approximately 365.93 days to orbit the Sun (compared to Earth’s 365.24 days). Paul Chodas, the director of NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies Center, stated, “HO3 orbits our planet, but it never ventures too far away. Both Earth and HO3 revolve around the Sun. We consider it almost like a satellite of Earth.”
Over a decade ago, there was another asteroid called 2003 YN107 that orbited Earth in a similar orbital pattern, but it eventually moved away from Earth and ventured deep into space. Our calculations indicate that 2016 HO3 has been a stable satellite of Earth for nearly a century and is predicted to continue as Earth’s companion for many centuries to come.
Referred to as a “co-orbital satellite,” 2016 HO3 is essentially an asteroid with a diameter ranging from 40 to 100 meters and reflects light like other asteroids. Objects similar to 2016 HO3 typically have unstable orbits and undergo significant changes in a short period. However, 2016 HO3 has been moving in a stable manner for a century and is projected to continue on a stable orbit for many centuries, thus earning it the title of Earth’s second moon.