We are talking about an asteroid that belongs to the Arjuna belt – near-Earth objects whose orbits are very similar to Earth’s. Some of them can approach Earth as close as 4.5 million kilometers, which is very close, and at a relatively low speed of 3,540 km/h.

According to scientists’ calculations, asteroid 2024 PT5 will enter the Earth’s gravitational field this Sunday, and will leave the orbit in 56.6 days – on November 25. It will be seen again with 2024 PT5 in about 30 years.

The asteroid is 308,108 times smaller than the Moon, so it will be difficult to see. For this, you will need a telescope with a diameter of at least 30 inches, plus a CCD or CMOS detector; just the human eye will not be enough.

2024 PT5 is not the first asteroid to turn into a “minimoon.” Scientists have officially documented two previous “brief captures” and two, more rare, “longer captures.”