Of all the planets in our solar system, Earth is the only one with a single Moon. However, for about two months starting today, the planet will welcome a second 'mini moon'.

A mini-moon is a "small asteroid or space rock temporarily captured by Earth's gravity," according to Khadijah Ahmad, Operations Manager at Dubai Astronomy Group.

It is expected to enter Earth’s gravitational field at 11.54pm on September 29, and will remain in orbit until 12.43am on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, according to Ammar Sakaji, theoretical physicist at the International Astronomical Center (IAC).

While our moon will have company for a short period, the recently discovered 'mini-moon,' named 2024 PT5, is significantly smaller, around the size of a bus.

The Earth's moon has a diameter of about 3,475 km while 2024 PT5 is roughly 10 to 11 metres wide. This means the moon is "approximately 308,108 times wider than typical mini-moons", Khadijah said.

Ammar noted that the 'mini moon' belongs to the "Arjuna Asteroid Belt," a secondary asteroid belt consisting of space rocks that follow orbits similar to Earth’s, with an average distance from the Sun of about 149 million km.

The mini-moon was discovered on August 7 at the Atlas Observatory in South Africa, and its closest approach to Earth was on August 8, at a distance of approximately 567,000 km.