In just over one week’s time, Earth will gain a new celestial companion that will stay for two months in the planet’s gravitational cradle. Meet asteroid 2024 PT5, Earth’s latest mini-moon. “It is pretty cool,

The asteroid was found by a group called ATLAS, which stands for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, in August. The researchers who found it published a nonpeer-reviewe

The asteroid is expected to make a “horseshoe path” around Earth over the next two months, researchers wrote in a recent study. After it completes its mini-moon episode, it will stick around Earth’s neighborhood until January. After that, it will not return until 2055.