Earth has "six moons." A new discovery surprises scientists.

A recent study has revealed that Earth may have a whole group of moons, not just one as many believe.

A team of researchers from the United States, Italy, Germany, Finland, and Sweden has found that Earth has at least six small moons orbiting it regularly, most of which are tiny fragments of the real Moon we see in the sky every night.

The researchers believe these small moons are about 6 feet in diameter and were formed as a result of asteroid impacts on the lunar surface.

The researchers said: "Given that 18 percent of the temporarily associated objects can be classified as minimoons, our results indicate that there are approximately 6.5 minimoons larger than one meter in diameter in the Earth-Moon system at any given time."

According to the British newspaper, the Daily Mail, these broken pieces, known as "lunar debris," can move in stable orbits and remain near Earth for years.

These pieces continue to orbit Earth until they change position or collide with Earth or the Moon.

This study may challenge the prevailing belief among scientists that these satellites quietly orbit Earth and originate from two asteroid belts in the solar system.

Analysis of Two Small Moons

The study, published in the journal Icarus, relied on an analysis of two recently discovered small moons, Kamuualoa and 2024 PT5.

Researchers believe Kamuualoa and 2024 PT5 are fragments of the original moon, ranging in diameter from 40 to 100 meters.

2024 PT5 has been dubbed Earth's temporary second moon due to its size and continued presence near the planet.

Scientists previously explained the moon's formation using the "great impact" hypothesis, which states that the moon formed after Earth collided with a planet the size of Mars about 4 billion years ago.

If the "great impact" hypothesis and the results of the analysis of the small asteroid "2024 PT5" are correct, this means that this space object is nothing but the "grandchild" of the moon, and the indirect "son" of the Earth, meaning that it resulted from fragments of the moon that originally belonged to the Earth itself, according to the "Daily Mail".