An asteroid that orbited near Earth for a few months as a mini-moon may be a chunk of the moon that was blasted off by an impact thousands of years ago.

PT5, a near-Earth object discovered last year, has captivated scientists with its potential lunar origins. Likely ejected into space after a massive impact on the Moon thousands of years ago, the asteroid’s orbit closely matches Earth’s.

The small near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5 has been creating a buzz among researchers. Discovered last year with the help of a NASA-funded telescope, it is only about 33 feet across and does not pose any threat to Earth.

New research suggests that Earth's recent mini-moon might have originated as part of our actual moon long, long ago.

A small asteroid, referred to as Earth's temporary "mini-moon," could actually be a piece of the Moon that broke away thousands of years ago. The celestial object, called 2024 PT5, is about 10-meter wide and poses no threat of collision with Earth now or in the near future, thanks to its trajectory.

For a few months, Earth had a second moon — a tiny asteroid that may have been a piece of our own Moon