Earth’s moon is about to get a brief companion in the form of a mini-moon, as an asteroid will orbit the planet for roughly two months. This rare event involves asteroid 2024 PT5, which will be captured by Earth’s gravity from September 29 to November 25. Discovered on August 7 via NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), the asteroid is approximately 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter.
According to a report in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (RNAAS), the asteroid won’t complete a full orbit during its 53-day stay. Instead, it will perform a horseshoe loop before breaking free from Earth’s gravitational pull. The report, authored by Carlos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos, explains that Earth often captures asteroids temporarily, but they sometimes break away before finishing a full revolution.
In 2006, a similar event occurred when an asteroid orbited Earth for a year. The path of 2024 PT5 is said to resemble that of 2022 NX1, another temporary flyby, which appeared in 1981 and 2022, and is expected to return in 2051. Unlike space debris, the report confirms that 2024 PT5 is a natural object due to its orbital properties, likely originating from the Arjuna asteroid belt.
