Tonight, on 29th September, Earth will gain a temporary second ‘mini-moon,’ which will remain for a few months. This mini-moon, named 2024 PT5, is part of the Arjuna asteroid belt, located about 2.8 million miles (4.5 million kilometres) away, relatively close in space terms.
2024 PT5 is monitored by experts at the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Despite being caught in Earth’s orbit and given the nickname ‘mini-moon,’ it will not complete a full orbit around our planet. Instead, it is classified as a ‘temporarily captured object,’ The Sun reports.
This asteroid, roughly the size of a London bus with a diameter of 11 metres, will stay in Earth’s orbit for a few months before moving on. It will follow a horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth, from 29 September until 25 November, rather than a full circular orbit.
After leaving Earth’s orbit, 2024 PT5 will return to its heliocentric orbit around the Sun, similar to Earth’s own path. The asteroid won’t re-enter Earth’s orbit until 2055, so this will be our last chance to ‘host’ it for quite some time.
Unfortunately, most people will not be able to see 2024 PT5. Its brightness, or magnitude, is 22, making it too dim to be seen with the naked eye, binoculars, or even consumer-grade telescopes. Only professional astronomers with advanced equipment will be able to observe this celestial event.10 to +20 scale, meaning it will be too faint to see.
You’ll need professional equipment but even then, some observatories have revealed to The Sun that professional telescopes will also struggle to detect 2024 PT5.
