News
Meet Earth’s newly-discovered companion, a mini-moon named 2020 CD3
Earth has a new companion: a mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On Feb. 15, scientists discovered a small rocky chunk that was captured by our planet’s gravity. But don’t get too excited, because it’s likely only a temporary fixture.
Our planet has only one natural satellite, our moon, but for the last couple of years, there’s been another lurking out in space. Astronomers spotted what is likely a carbonaceous asteroid with the help of the Catalina Sky Survey. The mini-moon is between 6.2 and 11.5-feet (1.9 to 3.5-m) in diameter, and roughly the size of a car.
Typically, temporarily captured objects, like 2020 CD3, only hang around for a brief time (from a few months to a year or two) before they are flung back out into space, or in some cases, burn up in our planet’s atmosphere as they’re pulled in by Earth’s gravitational tug. But according to astronomer’s, it’s been orbiting the Earth for up to three years now.
https://twitter.com/WierzchosKacper/status/1232460436634656769
The celestial real estate encircling the Earth is pretty crowded, which is probably why we’ve just now noticed it. Asteroids — which are piles of planetary rubble, remnants left over from the birth of the solar system — are usually very small and dark, making them difficult to spot.
So, discovering 2020 CD3 is kind of a big deal. To date, there have been only a handful of proposed potential mini-moons with only one confirmed — an asteroid named 2006 RH120. The three-foot-wide space rock orbited the Earth for just over a year, from 2006-2007.
“Out of 1 million known asteroids, this is just the second asteroid known to orbit Earth,” Kacper Wierzchos, the astronomer who detected the object, said on Twitter.
The existence of 2020 CD3 is an exciting discovery for a number of reasons, including providing the chance to study asteroids up close. Most asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter, in the main asteroid belt and it takes sending a spacecraft out into the solar system to study one of these celestial objects in detail.
2020 CD3 could provide astronomers with the chance to study asteroids in detail and better understand how they’re captured by planets. Unfortunately, computer simulations indicate that the mini-moon could be back on a journey around the sun as early as April. That’s because it’s caught in a game of tug-of-war between the Earth and the moon.
Analysis of 2020 CD3’s orbital motion indicates it’s heavy for its size, which leads astronomers to believe it is in fact, an asteroid. But scientists will use the next few weeks to continue studying the enigmatic object in order to definitively determine whether it is indeed an asteroid or perhaps a rogue piece of space junk.
There’s no time to plan a mission to 2020 CD3, as the object is already growing fainter and fainter in images, but astronomers say it will likely be back in a few decades. With more advanced telescopes coming online in the near future, these types of sightings could become more and more common.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.
Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.
It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.
Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.
He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.
Musk replied, basically confirming it:
As usual, Eric is accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.
AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.
It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.
The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.
But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.
Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
