"It is pretty cool," Harvard asteroid dynamics researcher Federica Spoto said, adding that the observations could help study similar space rocks and detect potential threats.
"Every time an object with an orbit so earthlike is discovered, there is a chance that we are just recovering space debris," coauthor Raúl de la Fuente Marcos noted.
Scientists suggest that 2024 PT5 may have once been a piece of the regular Moon, adding intrigue to its brief visit in the Earth's orbit.
Mini-moons like 2024 PT5 are particularly difficult to observe and categorize due to their fleeting presence in Earth's orbit, creating challenges for researchers.
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