Why Will Earth Get A Temporary, New ‘Mini-Moon’ For Two Months?

An Arjuna asteroid, named "2024 PT5," will temporarily orbit Earth as a "mini-moon" for almost two months, beginning on September 29.

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According to a study published in ‘Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society,’ this celestial event will see the tiny asteroid briefly join Earth's orbit before returning to its usual path around the sun.

The asteroid was first discovered on August 7 this year by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Sutherland, South Africa, during a routine observation.

Mini-moon events relate to asteroids that temporarily orbit Earth, and they can last anywhere from a few days to several years, depending on their trajectory. Previous occurrences of such short-lived mini-moons have already taken place in 1981 and 2022.

While the asteroid will not complete a full revolution around Earth, it offers a rare opportunity for astronomers to study temporary companions such as these.