Asteroid 2024 PT5, first discovered on August 7 by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), is a part of the Arjuna asteroid group. These asteroids have orbits similar to ...

The 33-foot-long asteroid known as 2024 PT5 was discovered by researchers in South Africa. But, it's not actually a mini-moon, and it is unlikely to be seen by the average skywatcher.

Earth will get itself another moon this month, but only briefly. The "mini-moon" in the form of asteroid 2024 PT5 will stick around for just two months.

Scientists discovered the asteroid, dubbed 2024 PT5, on Aug. 7 using the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. The asteroid impact warning system, developed by the University of ...

This is not the first mini-moon that Earth has had. 2024 PT5 is tracing a very similar path to asteroid 2022 NX1, which was also about 33 feet in diameter. In 1981 and 2022, the asteroid 2022 NX1 ...

Departing on Monday (Nov. 25), Earth's recent "mini-moon" asteroid 2024 PT5 didn't stick around for Thanksgiving, but don't be sad. It will be back... but will it ever be a second moon again?

2024 PT5 is a near-Earth object — like the one depicted in this artist’s concept — that will swing around Earth before heading back on its way through the solar system. Credit: NASA ...

Specifically, 2024 PT5 belongs to the Arjuna asteroid group, which has an orbit similar to Earth's around the sun. As the asteroid approaches Earth on 29 September, the planet's gravitational pull ...

Editor’s Note (9/30/24): This story has been updated to reflect the arrival of the mini moon 2024 PT5. It’s here: Earth has gained a mysterious new visitor from deep space—but it won’t ...

Before concluding that 2024 PT5 was a fragment of the Moon, scientists needed to rule out the possibility that it was simply space debris, such as an old rocket part or a piece of human-made material.

The small asteroid named 2024 PT5 will become a temporary mini moon of Earth from September 29 to November 25, 2024. While fascinating, its small size makes it challenging to observe without ...