Earth has gained a "mini-moon," but it's already drifting away. Here's what it looks like (photos included).

For the past two months, a "mini-moon" has been orbiting the Earth, and it is now returning to the Solar System. This is actually an asteroid in near-Earth orbit (NEO) known as 2024 PT5.

This information was reported on the Space.com website. It was noted that the asteroid entered our planet's gravitational field on September 29, 2024.

According to Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from the University of Madrid, it was initially clear that this "mini-moon" had temporarily entered orbit around our planet.

By the end of November, the asteroid returned to its native group of asteroids known as Arjuna. This group of asteroids revolves around the Sun in an orbit that is very close to Earth's orbit, located about 150 km from the Sun.

Studies of the asteroid indicate that it may be a fragment of the Moon formed as a result of an asteroid impact.

"It is almost certain that the asteroid will return in 2055. From late October 6 to the morning of October 14, 2055, the asteroid will have every chance of being influenced by Earth's gravity again. This time, it will stop at a distance of 5.3 million km from the planet. It will no longer be considered a temporary satellite of Earth, as it will spend most of its time at a distance of 45 million km from the planet," scientists believe.

As a reminder, earlier "Telegraf" reported that life in space may be very close to Earth. NASA will send a probe to search for it. The journey will take 5.5 years, covering a distance of 2.9 billion kilometers.