Earth's gravity has captured a new temporary companion, Asteroid 2024 PT5, which is roughly the size of a bus. The mini moon will orbit Earth for about two months before breaking free on November 25.

Earth has got a rare second moon. The 2024 PT5 asteroid, which zipped past Earth on Sunday (September 29), is set to orbit the planet for nearly two months. The ‘mini-moon’ has a unique connection to India through its orbital characteristics – it belongs to a group of asteroids named after the warrior,

A mini-moon is an asteroid or space rock that enters Earth’s orbit and acts like a second, much smaller moon for a short time. These mini moons don’t stay forever; they eventually break free of Earth's gravity and continue their journey through space.

Scientists aren’t exactly sure whether this asteroid is just a piece of space rock or possibly a chunk of the Moon that was knocked off long ago

What is the new mini-moon? Officially known as 2024 PT5, it is actually an asteroid. It is thought to come from the Arjuna asteroid group, a set of asteroids that are just under 1