Astronomers have confirmed planet Earth will be getting a second moon in just a few weeks, and it could spell danger for humanity.

When you usually hear of asteroids it is in the context of them heading towards Earth and smashing the planet’s atmosphere. However, asteroid 2024 PT, which was discovered back in August, is due to have a different fate. The rock from the Arjuna asteroid belt is expected to become trapped in orbit and in doing so, become a mini-moon. However, it will be a swift position, as it is thought it will only remain within Earth’s gravitational grasp for around two months, as reported by IFL Science. Even still, this is enough time to prompt experts to consider its destructive power. Speaking to ABC News, Astrophysics Professor Adam Frank from the University of Rochester, said the 10-metre rock could be devastating. “If something this size were to hit the Earth, you know, it would be an apocalypse of a biblical kind,” he said. However, he said the ‘space mountain’ won’t get close enough to us to cause damage.

“So really here, what we’ve got is something that’s about the moon’s orbit or so it’s about that kind of distance. So in no way is it going to get close enough to threaten us in any way,” he said.

Professor Frank said we can still learn from the asteroid, though.

“Astronomers are spending a lot of time trying to catalog these classes of asteroids to make sure that we understand where all of them are, because if any were to get close enough to the earth, we thought there was a possibility of hitting us, we’d have to figure out how to divert it or do something to it to keep it from striking the earth,” he added. Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to catch a glimpse of the mini-moon while it’s welcomed by Earth’s embrace due to its very dim magnitude.

The asteroid is expected to return to its position again as a mini-moon at the start of 2025.

Source: