But on rare occasions, our planet’s gravitational has brought other celestial bodies into its orbit.
Though rare, it is not the first time something like this has happened.
Near-Earth objects are those that come within about 120 million miles (190 million kilometers) of Earth.
Photo: Mopic/Depositphotos(Not a photo of the actual asteroid)
Under these conditions, their geocentric energy can become negative, making the object temporarily bound to Earth.
As exciting as this is, it won’t be easy to follow for amateur space lovers.
The object is too small and dim for typical amateur telescopes and binoculars.
Photo: NASA JPL Small Body Lookup Database
Once it leaves our planet, 2024 PT5 will return to the Arjuna belt and rejoin its sun-based orbit.
Photo: NASA JPL Small Body Lookup Database
