Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Earth gained another companion as a 'second moon' was captured on Sunday (September 29). NASA scientists have calculated that the tiny asteroid 2024 PT5 will orbit around Earth, but not for long. While Earth's natural satellite, the Moon, has orbited our planet for about 4 billion years since the early days of the solar system, this 'mini-moon' will only accompany Earth temporarily, not lasting until the end of the year. This space visitor will remain near Earth for just two months, starting on September 29, before escaping from Earth's gravity on November 25. This second moon, however, is going to be too small and dim to be seen without a professional telescope. The asteroid was first spotted by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7. The asteroid is about the size of a school bus at approximately 32ft (10m) long, which is tiny in comparison to Earth's moon, which has a diameter of approximately 3,474km. According to researchers, if an asteroid like this travels at a relatively slow speed of about 2,200 mph (3,540 km/h), Earth's gravitational field can exert enough influence to capture it temporarily. Mini-moons have been observed before, and it's believed that many more may have gone undetected. Some even return, such as the asteroid 2022 NX1, which became a mini-moon in both 1981 and 2022. Scientists predict 2024 PT5 will also return to Earth’s orbit again in 2055. FLE/Expat Media
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