A new addition to Earth’s orbit is on the way—a “mini moon.”
This mini moon is actually a 33-foot asteroid, about the size of a school bus. On Sunday, it will pass by Earth and be temporarily pulled into the planet’s orbit for about two months.
Known as 2024 PT5, this space rock was first identified in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a telescope in Sutherland, South Africa.
According to Richard Binzel, an astronomer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, these short-lived mini moons are more common than we think, with the last one being detected in 2020.
Although this mini moon won’t be visible to the naked eye or through amateur telescopes, it can be observed with larger, research-grade telescopes, as stated by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos.
It is uncertain whether 2024 PT5 originated as an asteroid or as a fragment of the moon. The mini moon will orbit the Earth for almost 57 days but will not complete a full orbit. On November 25, it will depart from Earth and continue its journey through space. It is expected to pass by again in 2055.
