"Captures like this must occur frequently. They are just hard to detect," said Derek Richardson, an astronomy professor at the University of Maryland.
The asteroid is expected to make a "horseshoe path" around Earth over the next two months, researchers wrote in a recent study.
Asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered in August by an early-warning system for incoming asteroids called the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).
Not many mini or temporary moons have been discovered around Earth, said Richardson, who was not part of the recent study.
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