14 DAY TRIAL // Astronomers say that our planet constantly has more than one moon. A new computer model indicates that objects other than the Moon enter orbit around our planet for various periods of time, before resuming their paths through the solar system.
The group, based at the Paris Observatory, explains that most of these moons spend less than a year in Earth's orbit. They then continue to fly on their established paths, heading either for the Inner Asteroid Belt or further out into the solar system.
Most of these temporary moons are asteroids. They range in size from a few feet to several hundred feet. The conclusion belongs to a new simulation, which took into account the motions of more than 10 million near-Earth objects, and their interactions with our planet, Space reports.
“This was one of the largest and longest computations I’ve ever done. If you were to try to do this on your home computer, it would take about six years,” PO expert and study co-author Jeremie Vaubaillon says. The research is detailed in the March issue of the esteemed journal Icarus.