Earth's new mini-moon 2024 PT5 arrives for a brief visit until November 25
Earth will host a new mini-moon, asteroid 2024 PT5, from September 29 to November 25. This small asteroid, about 33 feet wide, comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt and was detected by NASA in August. 2024 PT5 will not be visible to the naked eye or with standard telescopes. Only professional equipment can capture images of its journey past the stars. It will not complete a full orbit around Earth but will be slightly affected by its gravity. This is not the first time Earth has temporarily captured an asteroid. A similar event occurred with asteroid 2022 NX1 in 1981 and 2022. 2024 PT5 is expected to return in 2055.