The so-called "mini-moon," having completed a two-month half-orbit around our planet, has left near-Earth space, reports Tengri Life citing The Guardian.
The newspaper states that the asteroid, the size of a school bus, known as 2024 PT5, is currently 2 million miles - over 3.2 million kilometers - away from Earth and has begun its journey towards the Sun, moving away from our planet until 2055.
Astronomers believe that the object may actually be a fragment of the real Moon that broke off after a collision with another celestial body centuries ago.
According to their data, the asteroid will again approach our planet in January next year, coming within nearly 2 million kilometers.
It is worth noting that Earth temporarily acquired its second "Moon" at the end of September.
2024 PT5, which has a diameter of about 10 meters, was first detected on August 7 using the ATLAS system, designed to track asteroids that pose a threat to Earth.
This temporary satellite falls into the category of so-called "mini-moons." Such objects are small celestial bodies that are briefly captured by Earth's gravitational field. The asteroid 2024 PT5 poses no danger to our planet; its trajectory has been studied, and it will continue its journey through space after a short visit to Earth.
Earlier, British astronomers recorded one of the most powerful "sonic booms" in the universe, caused by the collision of a massive galaxy with neighboring galaxies. According to their information, this cosmic event occurred in the Stephan's Quintet.