Sep 18, 2024

UI astronomer: Approaching asteroid will become temporary second moon

Posted Sep 18, 2024 4:32 PM

(Radio Iowa) - An asteroid is approaching the Earth which the experts say will come close enough to be caught in our planet's gravity well, technically becoming a second moon, at least for a few months.

University of Iowa physics and astronomy Professor Casey DeRoo says this asteroid will be captured by the Earth's gravitational pull around September 29th. The asteroid known as "20-24 P-T-5" is only about 33 feet in diameter, or about as big across as a school bus. While it will come relatively close to Earth, close in astronomical terms, DeRoo says there's no chance the asteroid will hit us.

If you're hoping to catch a glimpse of this wandering space rock, you're wishing on the wrong star, because it'll still be many tens of millions of miles away. The asteroid will slingshot out of orbit around November 25th, after about 56 days as our looming moon.