It won't be there forever, but Earth will have a second moon when a small asteroid begins to orbit the planet later this month, space researchers have announced.

But the universe is throwing things for a loop by introducing a “second moon” for the next two months. In reality, it’s actually an asteroid, but we're kind of splitting hairs at that point. Regardless,

For nearly two months this year, Earth’s moon will have company — a second moon. Technically, it isn’t a second moon, but rather an asteroid from the Arjuna asteroid belt — named 2024 PT5 — that will be caught in the Earth’s gravitational pull, according to a study in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.

Here’s what to know about our new, temporary celestial neighbor. Earth has a large gravitational pull. So it’s not uncommon for objects flying through space to be attracted to it or get caught up in an orbit — at which point they earn status as miniature moons. The same happens with objects purposefully placed in space, such as satellites.

In a rare occurrence, the Earth is going to capture an asteroid in its orbit, making the asteroid a mini-moon.

An Arjuna asteroid, discovered in August, will become a "mini-moon" event for nearly two months from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25.

The asteroid was discovered in August and is set to become a mini-moon, spinning around Earth in a horseshoe shape for about two months.

Earth will soon have two moons, but not for long. According to a study published in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the “moon” in question is a celestial body known as 2024 PT 5 that is believed to be an Arjuna asteroid.