Earth to get second 'mini-moon': Here's what you need to know
Earth is set to experience a 'mini-moon' later this month, but what exactly is it and will we be able to see it?
According to Carlos and Raul Márquez, two researchers from Complutense University of Madrid, a small space rock – called 2024 PT5 – will temporarily enter Earth's orbit for around 50 days towards the end of September, before it moves to another part of the solar system.
This rock, which is essentially an asteroid, won't pose any risk of colliding with Earth itself. This is because it will remain in Earth's orbit thanks to its gravitational pull, instead of veering off towards our planet.
With a magnitude of 22, the mini-moon will only be visible to advanced observatories. However, you might want to keep an eye open in the next few weeks, just in case we can catch a glimpse of what many are calling a 'second small moon'.
It is expected to take around 53 days to complete one full orbit of Earth before it moves on in mid-November. Researchers and asteroid dynamics specialists such as Carlos and Raul will be tracking its movements over this period.
While this isn't the first time that this phenomenon has occurred before, this latest discovery has garnered quite a bit of attention due to its timing and proximity.
Elsewhere, September will also see the Harvest Moon, the second of four supermoon full moons in 2024. From our vantage point, the moon will appear to glow 14% bigger and 30% brighter. According to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the moment when the Moon will be at its fullest will occur at 03:34 on the 18th.
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