Just days after witnessing the partial lunar eclipse-supermoon combo, the night skies are treating us to yet another spectacular astronomical event. For the next two months, Earth will welcome a second moon, also known as a “mini moon.” But unlike our beloved crater moon, this cosmic visitor won’t be hanging around for too long. It’ll begin its orbit around our planet this Sunday, September 29.
Now, what exactly is the mini moon?
It’s actually quite different from our moon, which has been orbiting Earth for approximately four billion years. This second moon is actually a small asteroid named 2024 PT5. It’s about the size of a bus, measuring around 33 feet long!
Where does it come from?
The asteroid was discovered by a team of scientists back in August. It belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt, a group of space rocks 93 million miles away from the sun that follow Earth-like orbits. Earth’s gravitational pull will pick it up this month, but rather than follow a full rotation around our planet, 2024 PT5 will travel in a horseshoe-shaped path.
How long will this mini moon be in our orbit?
The asteroid will remain in our vicinity for roughly 57 days — from September 29 to November 25 — before drifting off. However, it is expected to return for another close flyby of Earth, 1.1 million miles away, on January 9, 2025, before moving away again.
Can we see this second moon?
It’s unlikely that any of us will get to see 2024 PT5 without any professional equipment. Definitely not with the naked eye and it won’t even be helpful to use binoculars or an at-home telescope. “A telescope with a diameter of at least 30 inches plus a CCD or CMOS detector are needed to observe this object,” Universidad Complutense de Madrid professor Carlos de la Fuente Marco told Space.com.
Well, at least we’ll know that it’s up there!
Will it be back after the two months?
Yes! It’s believed that 2024 PT5 will return to our orbit again in 2055, which means you have about 30 years to prepare for the next sighting.