(CNN) — Earth is about to gain a new “mini-moon,” but it won’t stay around for long. The newly discovered asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will temporarily be captured by Earth’s gravity and orbit our world from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, according to astronomers. Then, the space rock will return to a heliocentric orbit, which is an orbit around the sun.

An asteroid heading towards Earth is set to have an unusual fate: instead of smashing through our planet’s atmosphere, it’s likely to become trapped in orbit and become a mini-moon. It will be a swift visit,

The earth is getting a second "mini-moon" later this month, researchers confirmed; Asteroid 2024 PT5 will stick around from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, 2024, but it won't be visible to t