(Undated) An asteroid is on its way to Earth, but don’t worry, it won’t collide with us. This asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will enter Earth’s orbit from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, and then continue its journey through the solar system.
Scientists call this type of event a “mini-moon.” In August, an asteroid was discovered by a group called ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), and the researchers published a non-peer-reviewed study about it.
In the past, some mini-moons turned out to be random space debris, like the one in 2020, which was identified as a rocket booster from the 1966 Surveyor 2 Centaur launch. However, ATLAS believes that the upcoming mini-moon is likely to be a genuine asteroid, defined as a small, rocky object that orbits the sun.
