Earth has a new ‘mini-moon’! 🤏🌖
Asteroid 2024 PT5 has been ‘catching up’ with us for years. It recently got close enough to begin interacting with Earth’s gravity, leading to a short #MiniMoon phase from now until late November during which it will be bound to our planet. pic.twitter.com/v6FWoG67An
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) September 24, 2024
An asteroid will soon enter Earth’s orbit and become a temporary “mini-moon.” The space rock, named 2024 PT5, is expected to be captured by Earth’s gravity on Sunday and orbit the planet for about two months before swinging back out into space. The asteroid measures approximately 33 feet long, roughly the size of a school bus. It poses no threat to Earth during its brief visit.
For nearly two months, #Earth will temporarily have a second natural #satellite, as a 10-meter-wide asteroid is expected to orbit the planet alongside the #Moon.https://t.co/rkY8yrWx2v
— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) September 21, 2024
“It will not complete one orbit around Earth, just part of it,” said Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, co-author of a study about the asteroid. While not an everyday occurrence, mini-moon events like this are not uncommon. In February 2020, astronomers spotted a different mini-moon orbiting Earth.
Earth is gonna have a mini-moon for 57 days from the 29th of September. But did you know that this isn't our first mini-moon? Read my article to find out more!https://t.co/g03NM1VbXS#SuperstarsOfSTEM @ScienceAU
— Dr Laura Driessen (@AstroLauraD) September 23, 2024
It was estimated to be 6 to 11 feet across and stayed in orbit for over a year before being flung back into space.
Earth to gain temporary mini-moon
Marcos explained that mini-moons come in two “sizes”: short and long.
Short mini-moon episodes last from hours to a few months, and the object does not complete a full revolution around Earth. Long episodes last at least a year, with the object completing one or more revolutions. The upcoming visit from 2024 PT5 will be short, lasting until November 25.
The asteroid will be too small and faint to be seen with regular telescopes or binoculars. Marcos and his colleagues plan to study the asteroid using the Gran Telescopio Canarias observatory in the Canary Islands. They hope to learn about its surface composition and rotation speed, which could provide clues about its origin and shed light on other asteroids, including potentially dangerous ones.
The asteroid was discovered in early August by ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), an early warning system funded by NASA and developed by the University of Hawaii.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
