For the past two months, an asteroid named 2024 PT5 has been orbiting Earth like a “mini moon.”
Now, Earth is preparing to say goodbye to this special “mini moon.”
Due to the Sun’s gravitational pull being stronger than Earth’s, this 10-meter diameter asteroid will break away from its previous orbit. The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has stated that this asteroid may have originated from a meteorite collision on the Moon. NASA will also use radar to track the asteroid’s path. It is expected that Earth will have the opportunity to meet the “mini moon” again after the asteroid completes its journey around the Sun in another 31 years.
“This mini moon belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt.”
Previously, according to a study published by the American Astronomical Society at the end of September, it was anticipated that Earth’s gravity would capture an asteroid into its orbit for two months. This means that an asteroid roughly the size of a bus would become Earth’s “mini moon.”
The asteroid will remain in Earth’s orbit from September 29 to November 25, before returning to the asteroid belt around the Sun.
Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from Complutense University of Madrid, who led the study, shared: “The object that will visit us belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt. This is a secondary belt composed of cosmic rocks and moves in an orbit similar to that of Earth.”
He explained that some asteroids in the Arjuna belt can approach Earth, at a distance of about 4.5 million kilometers.
If their speed is low, around 3,540 km/h, their journey could be strongly influenced by Earth’s magnetic field. Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos noted that under such conditions, the asteroid could become a temporary moon of Earth. However, he added that it would not follow a full orbit around Earth.
This asteroid was discovered on August 7 and measures 10 meters in length. Scientists predict that this “mini moon” will return to Earth’s orbit in 2055.
This is not the first “mini moon” for Earth, as similar events occurred in 1981 and 2022.
