This month, Earth will temporarily gain a second “mini-moon” in the form of asteroid 2024 PT5. Unlike our permanent moon, this asteroid will stay for just two months before returning to its orbit around the sun. Scientists, led by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, identified the object from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which contains near-Earth objects with orbits similar to our planet’s.
2024 PT5 will not complete a full orbit around Earth but will briefly become a temporary satellite due to its close approach of 2.8 million miles (4.5 million km) and slow velocity of 2,200 mph (3,540 km/h). Such short-lived mini-moon events occur a few times per decade, while longer engagements are rare, happening every 10 to 20 years.
Though 2024 PT5 will not be visible to most skywatchers due to its small size and dimness, professional astronomers plan to study it further through advanced telescopic observations.
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