If you were hoping to see the “mini moon,” you’ve probably been disappointed. But experts say the asteroid was an important milestone in planetary defense research.

( KTLA) – A second moon has officially entered Earth’s orbit — sort of. Although it’s being called a “mini-moon,” the object is actually an asteroid named 2024 PT5. It has been temporarily captured by Earth’s gravitational pull.

A new mini-moon the size of a city bus will begin circling our planet and hanging out in our skies until Thanksgiving week. An asteroid named 2024 PT5 will enter Earth's orbit, get caught there from Sept.

On Sunday, September 29, our planet captured the tiny asteroid named 2024 PT5, turning it into a temporary mini-moon.

Though it can’t be seen with the naked eye or binoculars or a home telescope, but it can be visible to professional equipment because of its small size and made of dull rock.

On Sept. 29, the Earth will temporarily get a second moon. A small asteroid will be pulled into orbit before being released from our planet’s gravitational pull. NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) spotted the little asteroid on Aug.

An asteroid headed for earth this week is set to become trapped in our gravitational pull for the next couple of months, researchers say - giving us a temporary 'mini-moon'

A small asteroid named 2024 PT5 will temporarily become Earth’s second moon, orbiting the planet before drifting away from its gravity.

On Sunday, Sept. 29, Earth captured a new "mini-moon" called 2024 PT5. The bus-size asteroid is expected to orbit our planet for 57 days, but is too small to be visible to amateur skywatchers.

Asteroid becomes Earth's mini moon for 2 months