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This autumn, Earth is set to get a second moon – a small asteroid named 2024 PT5 – which will orbit the planet for about two months between September 29 and November 25 before escaping gravity.
According to research notes from the American Astronomical Society, 2024 PT5 will be Earth’s temporary ‘mini-moon’.
Although it cannot be seen with the naked eye or binoculars or a home telescope, it can be seen with professional equipment due to its small size and being made of blunt rock.
Astronomer Dr. Jennifer Millard, host of the Awesome Astronomy Podcast, explains bbc today Program, as cited cnbctv18“Professional telescopes will be able to capture it. So, you’ll be able to see lots of amazing pictures online of this little dot moving quickly behind the stars.”
past events:
On August 7, NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) spotted asteroid 2024 PT5. It is believed to be about 33 feet (10 meters) wide and come from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a group of space rocks that orbit the Sun close to Earth.
This is not the first time that the mini-moon has been seen, in 1981 and again in 2022, 2022 NX1 became a short-lived companion of the planet Earth. Scientists estimate that 2024 PT5 will also return to Earth’s orbit again in 2055.
About 2024 PT5 entry
According to the American Astronomical Society, 2024 PT5 is predicted to enter orbit on September 29 and depart on November 25. “It’s not going to complete a complete orbit around our planet, it’s just going to change its orbit, just swing by our planet a little bit and then it’s going to go on its merry way,” BBC Millard is quoted as saying.
Studies say that if an asteroid moves slowly, about 3,540 km/h, it could be pulled by Earth’s gravitational field for a temporary period. And this will be the case with the 2024 PT5.
“This story highlights how busy our solar system is and how much there is out there that we haven’t discovered because this asteroid was only discovered this year. “There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of objects that we haven’t discovered, and so I think this highlights the importance of us continuing to monitor the night sky and being able to find all of these objects,” Dr. Millard said. puts.” Added.
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