Earth to gain temporary mini-moon

A Mini-moon was definitely not on the 2024 bingo card

According to a scientific paper written by Dr. Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Dr. Raul de la Fuente Marcos, published by the American Astronomical Society, Earth will temporarily adopt a mini-moon.

2024 PT5 is the name of our latest interstellar guest and it will be staying in Earth’s orbit from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25.

PT5 is an asteroid that was discovered in August by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in Sutherland, South Africa.  

After its two-month vacation in Earth’s orbit, PT5 is expected to resume its path back toward its regular heliocentric orbit, returning to its day job of circling the sun.  

It is worth noting that the asteroid does not appear to be a threat to Earth, even if it did end up entering our atmosphere. The mini-moon is mini indeed only measuring roughly 11 meters or roughly the size of a three-story house.

This may seem large and scary but for comparison’s sake, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs (the asteroid most referenced to in human history) is believed to be over 10 km.  

The concept of a mini-moon may seem extraordinary or serve as a reminder of just how bizarre space can be.

However, this phenomenon is well documented and PT5 is not the first mini-moon, nor will it likely be the last.

PT5 does seem to be getting the most media attention a mini-moon has gotten proving how even the smallest part of space seems to captivate us all.