Earth will capture second moon this weekend, scientists say

#space #science #astronomy #moon NASA scientists have calculated that Earth will capture a “second moon“ on Sunday (Sept. 29). The “mini-moon“ comes in the form of the tiny asteroid 2024 PT5, which usually orbits the sun as part of a small asteroid belt that follows Earth. While Earth’s primary companion, the moon, has lingered around our planet for around 4 billion years since its formation in the solar system’s infancy, this asteroid will be a temporary fixture that won’t even see the year out. “According to the latest data available from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Horizons system, the temporary capture will start at 15:54 EDT (1954 UTC) and will end at 11:43 EDT (1543 UTC) on November 25,“ mini-moon event expert and Universidad Complutense de Madrid professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos told on Wednesday (Sept. 25).