There is a rocky object in the solar system that may be a mini- moon. One of the smallest moons ever seen would be one of the rocky satellites if it is confirmed to be a proper moon.
The tiny satellite was discovered by scientists working on NASA's Lucy mission, which is sending a space probe to study some of the Trojan asteroids, which are located on each side of Jupiter.
After a quick stop in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the Lucy probe will arrive at the Trojan asteroids in the late 20th century. Lucy mission scientists are trying to learn more about some of the mysterious rocks in order to find the best place to use the probe.
Polymele, Lucy's smallest target, passed in front of a distant star on March 27 and scientists were able to measure the space rock's size by observing how much of the star's light was blocked out by the asteroid. The team observed a small blip as another asteroid followed Polymele's wake.
The team concluded that the second blip had to be a satellite, according to a NASA statement.
The asteroid's surface was fluff.
The satellite has a diameter of 5 kilometers and is separated from the Polymele by 125 miles. Polymele was close to Earth at the time of the observation.
It's similar to finding a quarter on a sidewalk in Los Angeles while trying to spot it from a skyscraper in Manhattan.
The term " moon" refers to any naturally occurring solid body that is in the vicinity of a planet, dwarf planet or asteroid. According to NASA, there are more than 200 moons in the solar system.
Polymele's satellite is highly uncertain because the researchers only made fleeting observations. The space rock can't be officially named because it isn't yet a moon. When the Lucy probe arrives at Polymele, it will be able to collect enough data to designate it as a true moon.
Lucy mission scientists have seen a satellite in the sky before. After analyzing data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the team detected a satellite that will be Lucy's first target. The researchers determined the moon's path and named it.
It was originally published on Live Science
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