Earth's “second moon” will be visible today. All about asteroid 2024 PT5

The minimoon's arrival has sparked interest among stargazers and space enthusiasts.

This fall, Earth will briefly welcome a new visitor. A small asteroid is expected to be captured by the planet's gravitational field and temporarily become a “mini-moon” from September 29 to November 25 before continuing its journey through space.

The minimoon's arrival has sparked interest among stargazers and space enthusiasts. Unfortunately, due to its small size and lack of brightness, it is not visible to the naked eye. Even binoculars or home telescopes won't reveal it – professional equipment is required to catch a glimpse of it.

According to Dr. Jennifer Millard, host of the Awesome Astronomy podcast, will use professional telescopes to capture images of the mini-moon. “You can see wonderful pictures online of this little dot flying past the stars,” Millard told the BBC.

Asteroid 2024 PT5

The asteroid, called 2024 PT5, comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which contains rocks with Earth-like orbits. It was first discovered by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7 and is about 33 feet wide.

According to Dr. Jennifer Millard, host of the Awesome Astronomy podcast, will use professional telescopes to capture images of the mini-moon. “You can see wonderful pictures online of this little dot flying past the stars,” Millard told the BBC.

The asteroid, called 2024 PT5, comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which contains rocks with Earth-like orbits. It was first discovered by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7 and is about 33 feet wide.

“It will not complete a full revolution around the Earth. Its orbit is changed slightly by our planet before it continues on its path,” Millard explained.

Some asteroids come close to Earth, reaching distances of up to 2.8 million miles (4.5 million kilometers). When an asteroid like 2024 PT5 moves at a relatively slow speed — about 2,200 mph (3,540 km/h) — Earth's gravity can temporarily trap it, and that's exactly what will happen this weekend.

Minimoons have been spotted before, and many more have likely gone unnoticed. Some even return for repeat visits, like asteroid 2022 NX1, which became a minimoon again in 1981 and 2022.

If you miss this event, don't worry – 2024 PT5 is expected to return to Earth orbit in 2055.

“This story shows how busy our solar system is and how much remains undiscovered. This asteroid was only discovered earlier this year,” Millard added.