Earth Welcomes a Mini-Moon: Meet 2024 PT5!
A Temporary Companion
Of all the planets in our solar system, Earth is the only planet with a single moon. However, this will temporarily change for the next 57 days as Earth welcomes a "mini-moon."
What are Mini-Moons?
Although the moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, certain near-Earth asteroids occasionally enter Earth's orbit and are commonly referred to as “mini-moons.” These objects are temporary partners and eventually move on.
Discovery of 2024 PT5
One such object, 2024 PT5, has been identified as Earth's next mini-moon. Measuring approximately 11 meters (36 feet) in diameter—roughly the size of a school bus—the asteroid was first discovered by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos from the Complutense University of Madrid. Their discovery was made using a telescope in Sutherland, South Africa. The telescope is part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) network. ATLAS, which is funded by NASA, has telescopes in South Africa, Hawaii, and Chile and serves as an early-warning system to detect near-Earth objects. The discovery was published by the American Astronomical Society.
Visibility and Observation
The asteroid will be bound to Earth from September 29 to November 25—a span of roughly 57 days. Sadly, the object will not be visible to the naked eye or through amateur telescopes. On the other hand, observatories will be able to detect and track the object. Orbit and Behaviour 2024 PT5 will follow a "horseshoe” orbit, approaching Earth at a close range and low velocity. The object originates from the Arjuna group and is an Apollo-class asteroid, which means it is an Earth-crossing asteroid with an orbital semi-major axis greater than Earth's (a > 1 AU), but its perihelion distance is less than Earth’s aphelion distance (q < 1.017 AU). Due to this trajectory, the object will become temporarily bound to Earth's gravity. However, like previous mini-moons, such as 2022 NX1, 2024 PT5 will not complete a full revolution around the planet. It will leave Earth with its trajectory slightly altered and will not pose any danger.
Thank you for reading this article by cat
