A "mini-moon" that has been accompanying Earth since September will start to disappear in a matter of hours, not set to return until 2055. The asteroid, known as 2024 PT5, is currently positioned about two million miles from Earth - approximately nine times the distance to our actual moon.

The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun’s gravity. But it will zip closer for a quick visit in January, at which time Nasa will use a radar antenna to observe the 33ft asteroid.