Earth’s temporary “mini moon,” a 33-foot asteroid known as 2024 PT5, is departing after spending two months near our planet. The space rock began its horseshoe-shaped path around Earth in late September but was never fully captured as a true satellite.
Scientists believe the bus-sized rock may be a chunk of our own moon based on its composition and characteristics, finding its makeup closely matches lunar samples collected by Russian and NASA missions in the past. The asteroid's spectral characteristics resemble material from the moon's maria regions—dark lunar areas formed by ancient lava flows—suggesting it may have been ejected from a lunar crater millions of years ago.
The asteroid will make a brief reappearance in January, passing within 1.1 million miles of our planet—about five times the distance from Earth to the moon. After the flyby, it won't return until 2055.
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