Earth has a new mini moon!

Earth welcomed a “mini moon”, a temporary visitor, into its orbit on September 29, 2024. This astral companion is due to orbit our planet for around two months. The transitory extraterrestrial star, christened 2024 PT5, measures around 10 meters and is due to leave Earth’s gravitational embrace on November 25 and return to the Arjuna Belt, where it originated.

An asteroid known as a ‘mini-moon’ will enter Earth’s orbit tonight and remain there for two months. pic.twitter.com/MSsxxUi9hy

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 30, 2024

The asteroid was discovered on August 7 by a telescope on South African territory belonging to the University of Madrid astronaut team.

This discovery sheds light on the phenomenon of mini moons. These are small celestial objects that enter the Earth’s orbit for a short period of time, including this one, which passes within 4.5 million kilometers of the Earth while traveling at a speed of around 3,530 km/h.

Mini moons are unique in their fleeting nature. It’s because they don’t complete a full orbit that they stand out from other celestial bodies. The 2024 PT5 is scheduled to circle the Earth in 57 days, but its orbit will only be completed a quarter of the way before the object escapes into space.

The chances of amateur astronomers catching a glimpse of asteroid 2024 PT5 are practically nil. You’d need a professional telescope to catch a glimpse.

The next mini moon could orbit within the Earth’s magnetic field within the next five years, but for the moment, there are no others in sight.

Rest assured, this phenomenon is in no way dangerous to terrestrial security.