A recently discovered asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will temporarily orbit Earth as a “mini-moon” for nearly two months starting September 29. This rare event offers scientists a chance to study how smaller celestial objects interact with Earth's gravity.

Known as "temporarily captured flyby," this celestial event occurs when asteroids inadvertantly enter the gravitational field of the Earth, but do not complete more than one revolution around the Earth's orbit, in contrast to other mini-moons that are confined to Earth for extended periods of time.

It won't be there forever, but Earth will have a second moon when a small asteroid begins to orbit the planet later this month, space researchers have announced.