[Steely Tom]

I can understand how an object can approach Earth, get slowed just enough by skimming the atmosphere to then go into a stable (or semi-stable) orbit, and then eventually fall into that atmosphere.

I can't understand how an object — once having done this — can then (some time later) leave Earth orbit and go on about its merry way. Unless it has some sort of propulsion capability.

[Verginius Rufus]

Isaac Newton worked out the laws of gravity but does he explain why there is gravity to begin with? Why do masses attract? You have the earth over here and the moon over there--why don't they just leave each other alone?

We see light from distant galaxies which are billions of light-years away...so the light has been traveling for billions of years. Why doesn't it get tired?

[mosesdapoet]

Any picture available on this? Posting one would add to this.

[texas booster]

Adding in a few sentences that discuss the TCO and what the abbreviation means:

space objects that make their way close to Earth but do not immediately get pulled in by gravity are known as temporarily captured orbiters (TCOs), natural Earth satellites, or simply minimoons. Such objects circle the planet rather than plunge through the atmosphere and into the ground—at least for a time. It is believed most such objects do not circle the Earth for very long—they eventually succumb to gravity and crash through the atmosphere, or are instead flung back into space.

As the researchers also note, to date only one such object has ever been recorded circling the Earth—an object named 2006 RH120 was spotted back in 2006 circling the planet—it did so for approximately 11 months before it escaped the Earth's gravity and made its way back into space.