Summary:
- Astronomers have discovered that the "mini-moon" that orbited Earth briefly in 2020 was likely a piece of the Moon itself, rather than an asteroid as previously thought.
- This mini-moon, designated 2020 CD3, was only about the size of a car and orbited Earth for about 3 years before breaking free and continuing on its journey.
- The evidence suggests that 2020 CD3 was a fragment that broke off from the Moon's surface and was temporarily captured by Earth's gravity, providing a rare opportunity to study the composition of the lunar surface.