Neptune, the last planet in the Solar System, has 14 natural satellites. Uranus is 27. Jupiter and Saturn boast 67 and 62 respectively, “humiliating” Mars, which is only 2, and Earth with our lonely Moon. But that is about to change: Earth now has a minilua!

According to NASA, a tiny object that is between 36 and 91 meters in diameter and was captured by Earth's orbit just over 100 years ago - for comparison, the diameter of the moon is 3, 400 kilometers! Because it is so small and 38 to 100 times the distance from Earth to the Moon, this tiny rock has gone unnoticed during the last few years and was discovered only in April.

Officially called asteroid 2016 HO3, this minilua should have its status changed soon, earning a more “satelistic” name. But as a wandering asteroid, its dance around planet Earth must be fleeting, but according to scientists, it is in no danger of impacting either our home or our Luazona.

Minilua's distance is between 38 and 100 times greater than the moon's

"The asteroid's orbit around the earth is moving back and forth every year, but not enough to derail the planet's gravitational action more than 100 times the distance to the moon, " said Paul Chodas, NASA manager I study objects near our planet. "Our calculations indicate that the 2016 HO3 has been a stable quasi-satellite of Earth for about a century and will continue to follow this pattern as Earth's companion for centuries to come, " added Chodas.

In the video below, released by NASA, you can understand a little more about the orbit of this mini-moon and understand how gravitational action can influence small objects passing by: