Two moons in the sky: Why Earth will have a new mini moon from September 29 to November 25

Starting next week, Earth will have two moons. In addition to our familiar satellite, the Moon, a mini-moon will also be orbiting our planet.

Scientists have discovered a small celestial object known as 2024 PT5, which they have dubbed "Mini-Moon." This asteroid will orbit the Earth, but it will not be bound by the planet's gravity.

This asteroid is quite small, measuring about 10 meters in size, making it difficult to spot from Earth. However, the mini-moon is expected to orbit our planet for nearly two months.

The asteroid 2024 PT5, discovered by NASA on August 7, originated from the Arjuna asteroid belt. Once it completes its orbit around Earth, it is expected to return to its home in the asteroid belt.

Researchers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos have published a study on this mini-moon. They state, "Earth constantly attracts certain asteroids from near-Earth objects (NEOs) into its orbit, transforming them into mini-moons."

According to NASA, near-Earth objects encompass asteroids, meteors, and similar bodies that are influenced by the gravitational pull of nearby planets. These objects occasionally come close to Earth. NASA monitors the locations and orbits of billions of asteroids, with approximately 28,000 celestial bodies actively tracked in this project.

Paul Chodas, director of the NEO Study Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, notes that 2024 PT5 is likely a fragment resulting from an impact on the Moon. This suggests that the mini-moon may have originally been part of our lunar satellite.