Asteroid heading towards Earth will be a 'mini moon' for two months

An asteroid called '2024 PT5' is heading towards Earth and is set to become a 'mini-moon' for two months.

Researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid Ciudad Universitaria discovered the small asteroid on 7 August.

In a paper published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos explored the calculations of the 10-metre-long asteroid as it approaches Earth. According to the pair of asteroid dynamics researchers, it should loop around Earth from 29 September until 25 November.

The mini-moon will stay around until it breaks loose and continues its journey through the Solar System.

It is said to potentially be a part of a group called Arjunas, a family of asteroids that are close to Earth. Due to Asteroid 2024 PT5's close approximately to the planet, Earth's gravity will temporarily alter its path.

iStock

One astronomy enthusiast turned to X/Twitter with a clip of what is to be expected, racking up responses from fellow intrigued users.

"Seriously cool. Just the kind of NASA efforts we need to spend money on. There are a lot of rocks out there between us and the sun, and we don't see them coming till the last minute because, well, they are in the glare of the sun! Good work on this one guys," one person penned.

Meanwhile, others were desperate to know whether people will be able to catch a glimpse: "Will it be visible through a telescope or naked eye? From where and when? Does anyone have all such details?"

Sadly, the new mini-moon will be no brighter than magnitude 22, meaning it will be too dim to see.

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