Earth to get its ‘second’ moon on September 29, thanks to asteroid 2024 PT5; watch video
New Delhi: There is some great news for the connoisseurs of space, astronomy, and celestial events. An asteroid is likely to be trapped in Earth’s orbit and become a mini-moon. So that means that our planet will have two moons.
The experts say that it is a rare, matchless celestial event.
Watch The Video Here
Earth is about to gain a temporary mini-moon—asteroid 2024 PT5. Discovered on August 7, 2024, this asteroid is roughly 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and will be captured by Earth’s gravity from September 29 to November 25, 2024.
During this time, the asteroid will loop around… pic.twitter.com/xDZERy3CsS
— Erika (@ExploreCosmos_) September 13, 2024
The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, heading towards Earth, will not crash through its atmosphere, as usually others do. Instead, 2024 PT5 is likely to be trapped in Earth’s orbit and become a mini-moon.
However, 2024 PT5 is most likely to stay in Earth’s gravitational pull for only two months.
The asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered on August 7 by two astronomers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos from the Complutense University of Madrid, using NASA’s asteroid impact early warning system Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).
Both Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos have highlighted that 2024 PT5 is approximately 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and will be captured in Earth’s orbit for a brief window between September 29 and November 25. During this two-month period, the 2024 PT5 will loop around the Earth but will not complete a full orbit and will break free from Earth’s gravitational pull and fall back into the Sun’s orbit and continue its journey through the Solar System, says a report published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.
To put it in straightforward words, Earth will have two moons for a total of 56.6 days.
“It is pretty cool! 2024 PT5 will help scientists better understand asteroids that come close to Earth, some of which occasionally collide with it,” said Federica Spoto, an asteroid dynamics researcher at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.
Mini-moon
The 2024 PT5 is “unlikely to be artificial” and it is not just a piece of space junk. The researchers suggest it could be defined as a near-Earth object with a similar orbit to our planet.