A new mini-moon the size of a city bus will begin circling our planet and hanging out in our skies until Thanksgiving week. An asteroid named 2024 PT5 will enter Earth's orbit, get caught there from Sept.

Though it can’t be seen with the naked eye or binoculars or a home telescope, but it can be visible to professional equipment because of its small size and made of dull rock.

An asteroid headed for earth this week is set to become trapped in our gravitational pull for the next couple of months, researchers say - giving us a temporary 'mini-moon'

Earth is about to flirt with a new natural satellite, gaining a second ‘mini moon’ for 57 days. Our relationship with THE moon has lasted around 4.6 billion years, so she doesn’t have to feel too threatened.

A small asteroid named 2024 PT5 will temporarily become Earth’s second moon, orbiting the planet before drifting away from its gravity.

Earth will play host to a “second moon” this autumn. Scientists have said the event will last from this weekend until late November – and the celestial visitor could be back within the next few decades. Here’s what we know about Earth’s “mini-moon” as it approaches our planet’s orbit.

For those of us who lack fancy telescopes, the best way to see the second moon before it departs Earth’s orbit is by heading over to a professional space observatory with public access. Here’s a handy list of US observatories categorized by state, located in universities, nature centers, museums, dark sky preserves, and more.

If you were hoping to see the “mini moon,” you’ve probably been disappointed. But experts say the asteroid was an important milestone in planetary defense research.

On Sunday, Sept. 29, Earth captured a new "mini-moon" called 2024 PT5. The bus-size asteroid is expected to orbit our planet for 57 days, but is too small to be visible to amateur skywatchers.

The tiny asteroid will remain in Earth’s orbit from now until Nov. 25, when it will exit and continue its journey through the solar system. “There’s no way for small telescopes to see this mini-moon.

Is this the first time Earth has had a mini-moon? No. Earth has had a few mini-moons in the past, some stayed with us for a few days, while some for years.