The asteroid, dubbed 2024 PT5, is 33 feet long — roughly equivalent to a standard school bus.
The asteroid is expected to enter Earth’s orbit Sunday and lurk there until Nov. 25, just over 56 days, Marcos said.
Astronomers in Arizona spotted a different visiting mini-moon — a tiny asteroid named 2020 CD3 — in Earth’s orbit in February 2020.
“A short mini-moon episode may last hours, days, weeks or a few months, and the affected object does not complete one revolution around Earth,” he said in an email.
An early warning system for asteroids known as ATLAS (short for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) discovered 2024 PT5 in early August.
Persons:
”, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, Marcos, It’s, ” Marcos
Organizations:
American Astronomical Society, Gran, Canarias, NASA, University of Hawaii
Locations:
Spain, Arizona, Canary