A couple of cosmic occurrences caught my attention recently, which I thought I would share in today's post. First, did you know that our planet currently has a new mini-moon? This newcomer is only temporary, but apparently an asteroid less than 12 feet in diameter, known as 2020 CD3, was pulled into the earth's orbit about three years ago. Its presence was officially announced by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Minor Planet Center this week. The only other time such an event has been verified was in 2006, when another object, probably an asteroid (but just possibly space debris?) was discovered orbiting earth. 2020 CD3 is only expected to stick around until April of this year, so while you will not be able to see this tiny asteroid in the night sky, you may want to look up and give it a wave of acknowledgement before it breaks free and heads off to new adventures!
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| From CNN |
And speaking of the night sky, be sure to look up tonight, especially if it is clear, to see the planet Venus (which will look like a very bright star) adjacent to a thin crescent moon. I actually noticed this phenomenon last evening at dusk - both objects are so bright that the sky does not need to be completely dark to observe this duo. I may even try to take a photo this evening, and if it is a decent image I will add it to this post. Happy viewing, everyone!
Update: Here is the best photo I was able to take of Venus and the crescent moon:
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