Earth's orbit just got a bit more crowded. A second moon joined the Earth's orbit on Sunday, September 29th.
The ‘mini moon’ is actually a small asteroid, the size of a school bus, that is known as 2024 PT5. This solar rock has entered the gravitational pull along with the moon and will briefly orbit earth.
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It takes about 27 days for the moon to make one complete orbit around the earth. The asteroid that will also orbit with the moon and travel with us for nearly 57 days, completing almost one full orbit of Earth. After that, the rock will break free from our gravitational grasp on November 25, returning to its path around the Sun.
This might sound extraordinary to get a second moon, but according to NASA it’s quite common for asteroids and other space rock to enter the gravitational pull of the earth.
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Mini-moons have occurred before. The 2022 NX1 asteroid joined Earth's orbit in 1981 and 2022, according to BBC News.
Unlike the moon, the asteroid 2024 PT5 won't be visible to the casual stargazer because of its size. It’ll be too small and too dim to be seen without a powerful telescope.
