Earth will get a second moon for about two months this year when a small asteroid begins to orbit our planet. The asteroid was discovered in August and is set to become a mini-moon, revolving ...

By Becky Ferreira For a few months last fall, a school-bus-size space rock named 2024 PT5 gained fame as Earth’s new “mini-moon.” Astronomers rushed to study the object while it was still ...

Earth is about to get a new neighbor in the form of an asteroid. But this one won’t be making an impact. Instead, it’ll be what space enthusiasts have dubbed a mini-moon, and it will stick ...

But as a mini-moon, Asteroid 2024 PT5 isn’t in any danger of colliding with Earth now or over the next few decades, de la Fuente Marcos said. The space rock will orbit about 2.6 million miles (4 ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. A second moon has officially entered ...

Starting next week, the moon, Earth’s closest celestial body, will be joined by a new neighbor: a second moon. From Sept. 29 until Nov. 25, astronomers calculate that 2024 PT5— which is what ...

Asteroid 2024 PT5, which almost became a temporary mini-moon to Earth, was recently found to be a broken-off part of the moon itself. This discovery has led scientists to believe there are many ...

Have you ever wondered where Earth’s moon is from? One theory scientists have is that the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago after a collision between two celestial bodies: early Earth and ...

Earth has its fair share of fleeting companions. But sometimes, these so-called “mini-moons” have a surprising origin story. Take 2024 PT5, a bus-sized asteroid that drifted near Earth last year.

Earth and the Moon are forever locked in a gravitational embrace that has played a critical role in determining the fate of both worlds. Although they have grown more distant since their formative ...