Technically a “temporarily captured object,” 2024 PT5 is a near-Earth asteroid and Earth’s newest mini-moon. This 11-meter diameter near-Earth asteroid — about the same as a London bus — is expected to stay in orbit for a couple of months before resuming its own journey through the solar system on Nov. 25.

Unlike the existing moon — which has orbited our planet for about 4 billion years — this new floating rock is only expected to orbit the Earth once, beginning its trip Sept. 29 before breaking off from its gravitational pull on Nov. 25. So, will you be able to get a glimpse of the extraterrestrial event?

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) that move in horseshoe-shaped paths can come close to our planet at low speeds. During these times, they might experience “mini-moon” events, where their energy relative to Earth becomes negative. This means they can stay close to Earth for hours, days, or even months but won’t fully orbit the planet.