Name: Earth is about to lose its second moon, forever
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Earth is about to lose its second moon, forever

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Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .Earth's second moon will make a close approach to the planet next week before drifting off into space, never to be seen again."What second moon," you ask? Astronomers call it — a small object that dropped into Earth's orbit about halfway between our planet and the moon in September 2020. Temporary satellites like these are known as minimoons, though calling it a moon is a bit deceptive in this case; in December 2020, NASA researchers learned that the object isn't a space rock at all, but rather involved in the American Surveyor moon missions.This non-moon minimoon made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 1 (the day before NASA identified it as the long-lost booster), but it's coming back for one more victory lap,. Minimoon 2020 SO will make a final close approach to Earth on Tuesday (Feb. 2) at roughly 140,000 miles (220,000 kilometers) from Earth, or 58% of the way between Earth and the moon.Space.com Collection:Get ready to explore the wonders of our incredible universe! The "Space.com Collection" is packed with amazing astronomy, incredible discoveries and the latest missions from space agencies around the world. From distant galaxies to the planets, moons and asteroids of our own solar system, you’ll discover a wealth of facts about the cosmos, and learn about the new technologies, telescopes and rockets in development that will reveal even more of its secrets.&nbsp;Related: The booster will drift away after that, leaving Earth's orbit entirely by March 2021, according to EarthSky. After that, the former minimoon will be just another object orbiting the sun. in Rome will host an online farewell to the object on the night of Feb. 1.RELATED CONTENTNASA learned that the object has made several close approaches to Earth over the decades, even coming relatively near in 1966 — the year that the agency launched its Surveyor 2 lunar probe on the back of a Centaur rocket booster. That gave scientists their first big clue that 2020 SO was man-made; they confirmed it after comparing the object's chemical makeup with that of another rocket booster, which has been in orbit since 1971.Godspeed, minimoon 2020 SO. We built you. We abandoned you. And now, you abandon us.Originally published on Live Science.to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Thank you for signing up to Space. You will receive a verification email shortly.There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.MORE FROM SPACE...12345

Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .Earth's second moon will make a close approach to the planet next week before drifting off into space, never to be seen again."What second moon," you ask? Astronomers call it — a small object that dropped into Earth's orbit about halfway between our planet and the moon in September 2020. Temporary satellites like these are known as minimoons, though calling it a moon is a bit deceptive in this case; in December 2020, NASA researchers learned that the object isn't a space...

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Earth is about to lose its second moon, forever

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