Earth to welcome temporary mini-moon 2024 PT5 from September 29
phys.org —
Earth will have a new mini-moon, named 2024 PT5, from September 29 to November 25. This asteroid, about 10 meters wide, is part of the Arjuna asteroid group and will be temporarily captured by Earth's gravity. 2024 PT5 is the fifth mini-moon detected by Earth. Unlike previous mini-moons that orbited the planet, this one will not complete a full orbit before returning to its usual path around the sun. Mini-moons are small asteroids or comets that are temporarily captured by a planet's gravity. They are often difficult to detect due to their size and faintness, but ongoing projects continue to search for them.