Earth Has Another Moon and It’s Staying Until Thanksgiving
It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. For the past few weeks, a “mini-moon” the size of a city bus has been orbiting Earth. This celestial body is more than just a transient guest. It’s here to stay, or at least until Thanksgiving week. But this is not the moon. In fact, it is an asteroid called 2024 PT5. It entered Earth’s orbit on September 29 and will remain in our skies until November 25 before returning to the solar system.
Scientists call this phenomenon “mini satellites”. The asteroid was created by an asteroid named atlasrepresenting the Asteroid Earth Impact Final Warning System, August. the researchers who discovered it Published a study that was not peer-reviewed About asteroids.
some past mini satelliteFor example This is from 2020was found to be random space junk. The 2020 mini-moon was ultimately identified as a rocket booster from the 1966 Surveyor 2 Centaur launch. But Atlas reports that the new mini-moon is likely a true asteroid, which is simply defined as a small rocky object orbiting the sun.
amateur astronomer Tony Dunn posted a mock on X What the asteroid’s path would look like. 2024 PT5 has been close to Earth since July.
During the event, the asteroid’s Earth’s core energy will become negative And stayed that way for 56.6 days. In Dunn’s simulation, the orbit is shown as a red line, and it only orbits about 25% of the Earth.
This asteroid does not orbit Earth once, so some astronomers call it temporary capture flyby. Mini-satellites that complete Earth’s total orbit are called temporary capture orbiters.
Don’t expect to see a mini moon
You’re unlikely to see a mini-moon. NASA says The absolute magnitude of PT5 in 2024 is 27.593. This means it is very faint and cannot be seen even if you have a telescope. for referencethe faintest magnitude visible to the naked eye at night is about 6.5, and a 12-inch telescope can see objects with magnitudes of about 16 or 17. This means amateur astronomers will have to rule it out, as you’ll need a bigger telescope to see 2024 PT5.
Mini-satellites are not particularly rare. They happen almost every year. Earth will see mini-moon in 2022 This is thanks to the unique flight path of the 2022 YG asteroid. Another one will arrive in 2020 Courtesy of 2020 CD3 Asteroid. some of them are Even bright enough to see with amateur astronomy instruments.
Many asteroids also return and visit again and again. 2022 NX1 asteroid becomes mini-moon in 2022 1981 and 2022. It is scheduled to return in 2051. One of the best examples is the 2006 RH120, which orbited the Earth for an entire year July 2006 and July 2007. This phenomenon is so consistent some researchers say Earth always has a little moon lurking somewhere.
