# Our forgotten new moon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268 "2020-03-11T14:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/1 "2020-03-11T14:15:19Z")
I guess what with the Virus of Doom, the Great Economic Meltdown, the inevitable march towards the re-election of Trump, etc., the really important stuff is being forgotten. I was watching a _Late Show_ from last week with Neil Degrasse Tyson\* and he mentioned something about an ignorable little new moon. So, I got around to searching and indeed we have one! Welcome [2020 CD[sub]3[/sub]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_CD3)! About the size of a car, maybe. Probably been orbiting around 3 years. Will end up being ejected in April. (The Big Moon is jealous. It kicks these things out all too easily.) The last temporary moon was discovered in 2006. So even more rare than blue moons. - You know what they say about people with 3 names, don’t you? They kill small planets. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/2 "2020-03-11T14:19:58Z")
Ooh, I read about that in… in… maybe it was _Science News_? I thought it was pretty cool that we often have temporary moonlets. I didn’t know that was a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/3 "2020-03-11T14:48:16Z")
That is cool. I’ve learned something new today. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/4 "2020-03-11T15:40:25Z")
The British comedy quiz show QI has been keeping the public informed about our [tiny little moons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIqOsM6_3Dw) for years. It’s fascinating and confusing. Warning: the link goes to a YouTube video, which contains language that some folks might find vulgar. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/5 "2020-03-11T16:16:20Z")
There’s also Cruithne [3753 Cruithne - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3753_Cruithne) that has a weird horseshoe orbit near Earth. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/6 "2020-03-11T16:41:44Z")
It’s not [our second auxiliary moon](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/08/archives/study-links-toro-a-quasimoon-to-earth-and-moon.html). Get in line. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/7 "2020-03-11T16:42:26Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I guess what with the Virus of Doom, the Great Economic Meltdown, the inevitable march towards the re-election of Trump, etc., the really important stuff is being forgotten. > > I was watching a _Late Show_ from last week with Neil Degrasse Tyson\* and he mentioned something about an ignorable little new moon. > > So, I got around to searching and indeed we have one! > > Welcome [2020 CD[sub]3[/sub]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_CD3)! About the size of a car, maybe. Probably been orbiting around 3 years. Will end up being ejected in April. (The Big Moon is jealous. It kicks these things out all too easily.) > > The last temporary moon was discovered in 2006. So even more rare than blue moons. > > - You know what they say about people with 3 names, don’t you? They kill small planets. You may be on to something there. Grand Moff Tarkin being a case in point. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-forgotten-new-moon/849268/8 "2020-03-13T03:07:46Z")
I read the thread title (“new moon”) as referencing the monthly disappearance of Luna because no sunlight and thought, “Sure, it’s easy to forget. But remember, true conservatives denigrate the new moon out of respect for that venerable institution, the old moon.” So yes, it’s all political.