A Second Moon Will Orbit the Earth Soon, According to a Report

For the next two months, we're probably going to see a second moon, which is as rare a phenomenon as any.

Recently, a study by the American Astronomical Society found that the asteroid 2024 PT5 will be orbiting Earth between September 29 to November 25, 2024. Researchers were said to have found the space object hovering around the galaxy by way of an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in Sutherland, South Africa. Once the asteroid finishes its "episode," it should return to the asteroid belt.

First sighted in the Arjuna asteroid belt, the near-Earth objects (NEOs) will pass by and turn into "mini-moons" as they get pulled toward the orbit. It will only be here for a brief time, as it won't even complete one revolution, the study notes. “Sometimes, these temporary captures do not complete one revolution before dropping out of orbit and returning to their regular heliocentric trajectories," reads the paper.

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"The object is too small and dim for typical amateur telescopes and binoculars. However, the object is well within the brightness range of typical telescopes used by professional astronomers," Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, said in a statement on Space.com.

This second moon will, unfortunately, not be seen by the naked eye due to its size and the dimness of space. It would take a telescope with a diameter of at least 30 inches plus a CCD or CMOS detector to see it.

The mini-moon will then be leaving the Earth around 2025, and will only be returning 30 years later.