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.

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.

Earth has got a new mini-moon for the next couple of days and it has fascinated people across social media. Albeit, it might not be visible to the naked eye without a telescope due to its small size.