From September 29 until November 25, astronomers have calculated that 2024 PT5— what scientists think is an asteroid but have dubbed a “mini-moon”—will be looping around Earth. After its little orbit around the Earth, it will begin its journey back through other parts of our solar system.

A pair of asteroid dynamics researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid Ciudad Universitaria have found that a small asteroid will make one orbit around the Earth starting this month before departing back into other parts of the solar system.

In a surprising turn of events, Earth may soon gain a temporary mini-moon due to a rare event called gravitational trapping.The study, published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society,