Researchers have announced that a 10-meter-long “mini-moon” is set to enter Earth’s orbit for approximately two months, beginning September 29. The mini-moon, designated as asteroid “2024 PT5,” will remain in our vicinity until November 25.
Mini-moons are defined as astronomical bodies that are temporarily captured by a planet’s gravitational field. Unlike traditional moons that have a permanent orbit, mini-moons are transient visitors. They are typically smaller in size, encompassing objects such as asteroids, comets, or even fragments of space debris.
While the mini-moon 2024 PT5 is too small to be seen with the naked eye—measuring just 10 meters (33 feet) across—it can be spotted using a high-powered telescope. These mini-moons are quite rare, with asteroids typically entering Earth’s orbit only about once every 10 to 20 years. In recent times, however, a few have made appearances.
Unfortunately, the mini-moon 2024 PT5 is too dim for amateur astronomers to spot, but it can be detected using professional telescopes employed by researchers. Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, one of the researchers who announced the discovery of this mini-moon from the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, explained to *Euronews Next* that the small size of many objects in the asteroid belt contributes to this challenge.
“The problem with the Arjuna asteroids—those in Earth-like orbits—is that they are small. Most of them are less than 30 meters wide,” Marcos noted in an email. This makes it difficult for casual observers to catch a glimpse of these transient visitors, highlighting the importance of professional equipment in the study of such celestial bodies.
2024 PT5 will hover in the exosphere, located around 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) above Earth. Generally, mini-moons hang around for several months to two years before they eventually escape Earth’s gravity and continue their journey through space. This transient nature makes each mini-moon sighting a special event for astronomers and space enthusiasts alike.
A study on mini-moons published in the Swiss journal *Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences* in 2018 reveals that most of these celestial visitors originate from the asteroid belt situated between Mars and Jupiter.
Unlike Earth’s permanent moon, mini-moons do not have stable orbits. Instead, they follow a unique “horseshoe” path. This occurs because the gravitational forces of Earth continuously pull them back and forth, causing their orbits to fluctuate rather than remain fixed. This dynamic nature contributes to the rarity and intrigue of mini-moons as they make their brief visits to our planet.
The asteroid making its way toward Earth is designated as 2024 PT5. It was first detected on August 7 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), based at the Haleakala Observatory in Maui, Hawaii. This system is designed to continuously scan the sky, identifying and tracking near-Earth objects that could either pose a threat to our planet or present opportunities for valuable scientific research.
Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, an astronomer at the Complutense University of Madrid and a co-author of the study, noted, “Every time an object with an orbit so Earth-like is discovered, there is a chance that we are just recovering space debris.” Despite these initial uncertainties, astronomers involved in the study have confirmed that 2024 PT5 is indeed an asteroid, adding to the growing interest in this temporary mini-moon as it approaches Earth.
However, it is pertinent to mention here that astronomers have confirmed that the mini-moon 2024 PT5 will complete its orbit around Earth between September 29 and November 25. After this period, it is expected to break free from Earth’s gravitational influence and continue its journey back into space.
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