According to scientists, a second moon may soon arrive on Earth, BBC News said on Wednesday.
The gravitational attraction of Earth will drag a small asteroid into its orbit, turning it momentarily into a “mini-moon.”
After arriving on September 29, this space visitor will stay for a few months before once more evading Earth’s gravitational pull.
But without a professional telescope, the second moon will be too small and faint to observe.
On August 7, NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas) detected the asteroid for the first time.
In a study that was published in the American Astronomical Society’s Research Notes, scientists calculated its trajectory.
The asteroid, known to scientists as 2024 PT5, is a member of the Arjuna asteroid belt, which is home to rocks with orbits that resemble Earth’s.
Sometimes, a few of these asteroids approach Earth rather closely—by as much as 2.8 million miles (4.5 million kilometers).
The study’s researchers found that Earth’s gravitational field can have a significant impact and briefly confine an asteroid of this size if it is traveling at a modest speed of about 2,200 mph (3,540 km/h).
Which is precisely what is about to occur; this little asteroid will begin orbiting Earth this weekend and will take roughly two months to complete.
Astronomer Dr. Jennifer Millard, who hosts the Awesome Astronomy podcast, said on the BBC’s Today show that the asteroid was expected to enter orbit on September 29 and exit on November 25.
“It will simply have its orbit slightly twisted by our planet and then it will continue on its merry way; it won’t complete a full revolution of our planet,” she said.
The asteroid is just around 32 feet (10 meters) long, which is very small compared to the moon of Earth, which is about 3,474 kilometers in diameter.
