This weekend, Earth will be getting a second moon! The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will be captured by Earth’s gravity temporarily, and orbit the planet from September 29 to November 25. After that, it’ll return to its normal orbit around the sun.
It’s about 36 feet wide and was first seen by researchers in South Africa. Some scientists have described it as a “mini-moon”. It’s not the first time it’s happened. There was one in 2020 that orbited the Earth for over a year! They’re actually relatively common occurrences, with some researchers believing that Earth always has at least one mini-moon. 2024 PT5 is predicted to be captured by Earth’s gravity again in 2055.
The good news is that 2024 PT5 isn’t in any danger of colliding with the earth. The bad news is that you won’t be able to see it unless you have a telescope like professional astronomers use.
It’s not easy for asteroids to become mini-moons. They need to be traveling at just the right speed and direction to be captured by Earth’s gravity. Scientists have discovered over half a million asteroids, with hundreds of thousands yet to be found. Despite their number, they’re spaced far apart so spacecraft can fly through the asteroid belt completely unscathed.