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Earth is set to get a second "mini-moon" during the upcoming two months this year, comprised of a small asteroid that will be orbiting the planet.
CBS News reports that the Asteroid was discovered in August and will be orbiting Earth in a horseshoe shape from September 29 to November 25. It was spotted by researchers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, which is funded by NASA to monitor asteroids, who named it 2024 PT5. One of their instruments in South Africa picked the asteroid up.
According to Scientists from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid who have been tracking the asteroid for 21 days, 2024 PT5 comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt which orbits the sun. However, Earth's gravity will pull the asteroid toward it, thereby giving it a second moon for 56 days. Afterwards, it will stay near the planet for a few months, with it being closest on January 9, 2025, but will no longer be orbiting. 2024 PT5 will re-enter Earth's orbit in 2025.
When non-Earth objects (NEOs) orbit the planet, they are typically called mini-moons. While 2024 PT5 will be of the larger mini-moons the planet has experienced, it will still be too small to spot with the naked eye or amateur telescopes.
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