<p>Here's a second and third moon: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar" rel="nofollow">Telstar 1 and 2</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Telstar 1 and 2—though no longer functional—still orbit the Earth.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0jUvufQgQo" rel="nofollow">Here's a song about Telstar 1</a>. It was a hit for The Tornados back in 1962.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-17T18:25:52.397Z
2015-11-17T18:25:52.397Z
Wayfaring Stranger
<p>At this stage of our solar system it is impossible for something with size of moon to fall in inner orbit. But smaller things like asteroids do fall in, and become captured by earths gravity. but they aren't big enough to see with naked eye. For example 2006 RH120 is a near earth asteroid which orbited Earth from September 2006 to June 2007.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OlZaL.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OlZaL.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-16T22:50:34.280Z
I love that diagram, as it shows some of the wierdness that can happen when an object orbits 2 bodies.   It's covered in the 2 links above, but it's very difficult in the Earth-Moon (and sun) system for the Earth to acquire a 2nd asteroid for more than a few orbits.,  There are no stable semi-permanent orbits with so large a Moon and the Sun's influence so strong as well.   The Moon is stable, but a 2nd moon wouldn't be.   The most stable option is probably a near Earth orbit but that's also the most unlikely to happen naturally and there are Roche Limit problems for an object of any size.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-17T05:37:49.910Z
how did you generate or get the above picture? any source please. @Kosta
Kushal Bhuyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-17T06:52:13.893Z
Google the name of the asteroid he gave.    2006 RH120 and you'll see similar pictures.    Here's an article with a similar, even more exotic movement.   http://www.npr.org/2012/04/03/149712082/earth-has-just-one-moon-right-think-again   Since most captured temporary satellites are more distant from the earth than the Moon, the combination of the Earth's gravity, the Sun's gravity (and to a lesser extent, the Moon's gravity), Together that makes for some pretty strange orbital motion, at least in relation to the Earth.   In relation to the Sun that squiggle would be mostly elliptical.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-18T11:28:44.197Z
@KprimeX I found this diagram on Wikipedia page, Here's link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_RH120
Kosta Butbaia
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-16T19:54:03.677Z
2015-11-16T19:54:03.677Z
Kosta Butbaia
<p>This question sounds like silly and rather fantasy filled. But can our earth's gravity capture a sizable asteroid and make it rotate around our earth like our moon which become visible from ground. Is there any theoretical possibility or practical probability? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-16T19:49:02.800Z
http://earthsky.org/space/asteroids-accretion, or see also http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8795/how-do-moons-get-captured which covers most of the answer to this.
James K
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-18T06:11:46.050Z
Why, you don't think just one isn't romantic enough?
Ricky
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-18T06:22:23.763Z
Because more the merrier :) This is just a curiosity, who knows it'll be more romantic to have two of them :)
Kushal Bhuyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-19T06:20:57.620Z
@KprimeX: Well, scientifically speaking, it can be easily arranged and would only cost about $100: one needs to pick a starry night, wait for the moon to position itself close to the zenith, toss back ten cognacs in ten minutes, chase them down with a pint of suds, and - voila!
Ricky
<the-moon><asteroids><natural-satellites>
Can we have a second moon?
Kushal Bhuyan
# Can we have a second moon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-11-16)

This question sounds like silly and rather fantasy filled. But can our earth's gravity capture a sizable asteroid and make it rotate around our earth like our moon which become visible from ground. Is there any theoretical possibility or practical probability?

**Tags:** the-moon, asteroids, natural-satellites
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: http://earthsky.org/space/asteroids-accretion, or see also http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8795/how-do-moons-get-captured which covers most of the answer to this.  
> **username_2**: Why, you don't think just one isn't romantic enough?  
> **username_0**: Because more the merrier :) This is just a curiosity, who knows it'll be more romantic to have two of them :)  
> **username_2**: @KprimeX: Well, scientifically speaking, it can be easily arranged and would only cost about $100: one needs to pick a starry night, wait for the moon to position itself close to the zenith, toss back ten cognacs in ten minutes, chase them down with a pint of suds, and - voila!  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-11-16. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

At this stage of our solar system it is impossible for something with size of moon to fall in inner orbit. But smaller things like asteroids do fall in, and become captured by earths gravity. but they aren't big enough to see with naked eye. For example 2006 RH120 is a near earth asteroid which orbited Earth from September 2006 to June 2007.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/OlZaL.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/OlZaL.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: I love that diagram, as it shows some of the wierdness that can happen when an object orbits 2 bodies.   It's covered in the 2 links above, but it's very difficult in the Earth-Moon (and sun) system for the Earth to acquire a 2nd asteroid for more than a few orbits.,  There are no stable semi-permanent orbits with so large a Moon and the Sun's influence so strong as well.   The Moon is stable, but a 2nd moon wouldn't be.   The most stable option is probably a near Earth orbit but that's also the most unlikely to happen naturally and there are Roche Limit problems for an object of any size.  
> **username_0**: how did you generate or get the above picture? any source please. @Kosta  
> **username_5**: Google the name of the asteroid he gave.    2006 RH120 and you'll see similar pictures.    Here's an article with a similar, even more exotic movement.   http://www.npr.org/2012/04/03/149712082/earth-has-just-one-moon-right-think-again   Since most captured temporary satellites are more distant from the earth than the Moon, the combination of the Earth's gravity, the Sun's gravity (and to a lesser extent, the Moon's gravity), Together that makes for some pretty strange orbital motion, at least in relation to the Earth.   In relation to the Sun that squiggle would be mostly elliptical.  
> **username_4**: @KprimeX I found this diagram on Wikipedia page, Here's link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_RH120  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-11-17. Score: 0

Here's a second and third moon: [Telstar 1 and 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar).

> Telstar 1 and 2—though no longer functional—still orbit the Earth.

[Here's a song about Telstar 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0jUvufQgQo). It was a hit for The Tornados back in 1962.


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