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Earth is set to gain a temporary second moon this fall as the 2024 PT5 asteroid gets caught in our planet's gravitational pull. The asteroid, measuring only 33 feet wide, will orbit Earth from September 29 to November 25, according to a study published this week. This phenomenon, known as a 'mini-moon,' is not a new occurrence, with similar events recorded in 1981 and as recently as 2022.
The 2024 PT5 asteroid is believed to have originated from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a diverse collection of space rocks that orbit the sun close to our planet. Due to its orbit being closely matched to our own, calculations indicate the asteroid will orbit Earth again in January 2025 and then in 2055, Live Science reported.
Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the lead author of the research, explained to The Guardian that some asteroids in the Arjuna belt can approach relatively close to Earth, around 2.8 million miles away. If they're also moving relatively slowly for asteroids, their paths become more strongly affected by Earth's gravity than usual, potentially causing them to become temporary moons of Earth.
Despite its close proximity, the 'mini-moon' will be hard to spot with the naked eye due to its small size. However, it is well within the brightness range of typical telescopes used by professional astronomers.