Earth to Temporarily Gain a Second ‘Moon’ as Asteroid 2024 PT5 Orbits Our Planet
Earth is about to gain a temporary second “moon” in the form of a small asteroid named 2024 PT5. Unlike our permanent moon, this asteroid will orbit Earth for only about two months before continuing its journey through the solar system
Discovered in August as part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System, 2024 PT5 originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt. It will become trapped by Earth’s gravity, making a single orbit around our planet. After that, it will be flung back into space, continuing its path around the sun.
The asteroid is relatively small, measuring about 10 meters across, and is not large enough to be visible to most skywatchers without professional telescopes. This phenomenon of temporary moons, or “mini-moons,” happens periodically, with several occurrences every decade, though longer-lasting ones are much rarer.