Earth to Get a “Mini-Moon” for About Two Months | Asteroid 2024 PT5 to Complete One Orbit

By the end of September 2024, Earth will temporarily have a second moon. However, this rare event will last less than two months and will likely go unnoticed by the naked eye. This temporary mini-moon is actually a small asteroid named "2024 PT5," discovered on August 7 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System or "ATLAS." The asteroid is on a path that will cause it to be temporarily captured by Earth’s gravity. It will orbit our planet from September 29 to November 25. During this time, 2024 PT5 will complete just one orbit before drifting away. Measuring only about 33 feet or 10 meters across, the asteroid is too small to be seen without a powerful telescope, making it nearly invisible even to backyard astronomers. Astronomers believe this new mini-moon may have originated from the Arjuna asteroid belt.

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[f.b.l.]

the music sounds like it belongs in a Silent Hill game

[joeparsley]

Why 2 months? How do you know it will stay for 2 months?

[nameless]

Why can't it just plow into this Big Blue Pet Shop instead of just loop around & bail?

[Auziuwu]

Apart from losing -100, 000, 000 social points for using AI
why exactly is it called a "mini moon"?

[MarcusFiregone]

I can't find anywhere how close it will get to the earth. Graphics show it closer to the Earth than the moon but others say the closest distance will be about 10 times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

[ottovuorinen]

Why i saw two big moon on the sky about 5 months ago?If someone can explain that😊