A whole 'population' of minimoons may be lurking near Earth, researchers say

A lumpy grey rock covered in craters floats in front of a blue-and-white earth beneath it. hundreds of pinpoint-like stars dot the black background of space.

Earth's minimoon may be a chip off the old block: New research suggests that 2024 PT5 ​​— a small, rocky body dubbed a "minimoon" during its discovery last year — may have been blown off the moon during a giant impact long ago, making it the second known sample traveling near Earth's orbit.

The discovery hints at a hidden population of lunar fragments traveling near Earth.