Earth is about to gain a temporary new companion, as asteroid 2024 PT5 is set to orbit the planet from September 29 to November 25, 2024. This rare phenomenon involves a mini moon — a small asteroid that becomes captured by Earth’s gravity for a brief period.
The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, was spotted on August 7 using the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), a NASA-funded early warning system designed to detect potential asteroid impacts. According to a report published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (RNAAS), the 2024 PT5 is relatively small, with a diameter of approximately 10 metre (33 feet).
During its 53-day tenure around Earth, 2024 PT5 will not complete a full orbit. Instead, it will perform a horseshoe-shaped loop before eventually breaking free from Earth’s gravitational pull.
Earth’s Gravitational Influence on Asteroids
The RNAAS report, authored by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, highlights Earth’s tendency to capture asteroids and pull them into its orbit. Some of these captured objects complete one or more full revolutions, while others, like 2024 PT5, break away before finishing an orbit.
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The asteroid’s behavior closely resembles that of 2022 NX1, a confirmed natural object that performed temporary flybys in 1981 and 2022 without completing a full orbit. 2024 PT5’s journey around Earth seems similar, indicating it is a natural object rather than space debris.
Past Mini Moons and Future Flybys
Earth has previously captured other small asteroids or a mini moon. Notably, in 2006, an asteroid remained in Earth’s orbit for a year before breaking away in 2007. The path of 2024 PT5 is expected to mirror the transient journey of 2022 NX1, which is predicted to return for another semi-loop around Earth in 2051.
