Newly Discovered Mini-Moon to Orbit Earth for Two Months!

Earth’s about to pick up a hitchhiker—by the end of the month, we’re getting another moon! Well, sort of. Scientists say a tiny asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will get caught in Earth’s gravity and hang out with us for a while. But don’t get too attached; this mini-moon is only staying until the end of the year.

Discovered on August 7 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)—yes, that's a mouthful—this space rock is just 33 feet wide (about the size of a bus). Starting around September 29, it’ll make one complete loop around Earth before it bids us farewell by November 25. Blink, and you might miss it!

Turns out, Earth’s a bit of a collector when it comes to temporary moons. We picked up a similar visitor in 1981 and again in 2022. Those asteroids also just popped in, stuck around, and then zoomed off into the cosmos. Scientists shared all the details in a recent edition of Research Notes of the AAS, because even moons—no matter how small—deserve a shoutout!

More information here: https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/earths-new-mini-moon-will-orbit-our-planet-for-the-next-2-months

18th Sep 2024