Earth has a small space rock visitor! A tiny asteroid called QQ8 is going around our planet like a mini moon. But it will leave soon and go back into space.
Study these words before reading the article. Click the audio button to hear pronunciation.
Caught something and kept it in one place
“The cat captured the ball under its paw.”
Very, very small
“The baby bird was tiny and soft.”
The force that pulls things toward a planet
“Gravity keeps us on the ground.”
A large round object in space that moves around a star
“Earth is the planet where we live.”
A round path that goes back to where it started
“The race car drove in a big loop.”
Someone or something that comes to a place for a short time
“We had a visitor at school today.”
Listen to Article
Click on any underlined word to see its definition. Highlighted words are from the vocabulary section.
Guess what? Earth has a new mini moon! A tiny space rock is going around our planet. Scientists call it QQ8. It is very, very small. It is only about one meter wide!
QQ8 came close to Earth in April. Our planet's gravity captured it. Now it moves in a loop around Earth. It stays far away from us. It is even farther than our real Moon!
But QQ8 will not stay for long. It will leave around December or January. Then it will go back around the Sun. Maybe it will visit us again one day!
Test your understanding of the article with these multiple-choice questions.
What is QQ8?
When did QQ8 come close to Earth?
How long will QQ8 stay near Earth?
Where will QQ8 go after it leaves Earth?
Answer these comprehension questions about the article.
What is the name of Earth's new mini moon?
How big is the space rock QQ8?
When did QQ8 come close to Earth?
When will QQ8 leave Earth?
Where will QQ8 go after it leaves Earth?
Share your opinions on these open-ended questions.
If you could name a mini moon, what would you call it?
What would you do if you could visit space?
Can you think of other things that are very tiny?
Would you like to be a scientist who studies space? Why?
What is your favorite thing about the Moon?
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