An asteroid will be Earth’s second moon for nearly two months. (Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
For nearly two months this year, Earth’s moon will have company — a second moon. Technically, it isn’t a second moon, but rather an asteroid from the Arjuna asteroid belt — named 2024 PT5 — that will be caught in the Earth’s gravitational pull, according to a study in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. This is how many “mini-moons” are formed. An object in space can get caught in the Earth’s gravitational pull, make a full rotation around the planet and be classified as an orbiter — or be labeled a flyby if it doesn’t make a full rotation around the Earth, which is what 2024 PT5 is doing. 2024 PT5, discovered on Aug. 7, is following a horseshoe-shaped path, which means that it will make a semi-orbit of the Earth and then return to its normal sun-centered orbit. Researchers said the mini-moon will take place from Sept. 29 until Nov. 25.
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