2024-09-18 08:24:30
washington: From the end of this month, not one but two moons will be visible from Earth. Along with the moon, a mini moon will also be visible in space. This moon is actually an asteroid, which is called a mini moon because it looks like a small moon and revolves around the Earth. Researchers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos of Universidad Complutense de Madrid have said that this mini moon has been named 2024 PT5. This small asteroid will remain in Earth’s orbit for 56 days from September 29 to November 25, 2024. This asteroid is about 10 meters, which was discovered through the Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System.
According to a TOI report, the research suggests that 2024 PT5 will be pulled into Earth’s gravitational field for 56 days. 2024 PT5 will orbit Earth once before heading back into space. This is a phenomenon known as a temporarily captured flyby. In this, asteroids enter Earth’s gravity but do not complete several orbits. On the other hand, other mini moons, on the contrary, remain in orbit for a longer period.
This asteroid will orbit the Earth
The asteroid will make a single orbit around Earth before returning to its solar path. 2024 PT5 will approach Earth at a low velocity, making its temporary capture by gravity possible. According to the report, the asteroid is from the Arjuna group, which shares the same orbit as Earth. It is considered a natural object. It is not considered space debris. This is not the first time a mini-moon will come into Earth’s orbit. In 2006, an asteroid orbited for about a year. Talking about 2024 PT5, its next projected return around Earth after the current journey will be in 2055.
Asteroid 2024 PT5 cannot be seen with the naked eye. It will be very faint and will not be visible even with ordinary telescopes. It can only be seen with an advanced observatory with 22 magnitude. Asteroid researcher Federica Spoto has said that 2024 PT5 will provide information about those asteroids in space that pose a threat of colliding with the Earth.