Earth will have a “new moon” for two months (video)

Labatilla

September 16, 2024, 11:11 AM

A small asteroid called 2024 PT5 is preparing for a brief but unusual visit to our planet. Discovered on August 7 by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa, the asteroid is about 10 to 11 meters in diameter, about the size of a bus, and will be temporarily trapped by Earth’s gravity and become a “mini-moon” for about two months.

by Dr.W.

According to astronomers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, from the Complutense University of Madrid, the asteroid will begin its orbit around Earth on September 29 and will remain with us until November 25. During those 56.6 days, Earth will be able to boast two moons: our ever-faithful companion and this strange little temporary moon.

Video: @tony873004 /

While the idea of ​​a new cosmic visitor is exciting, you don’t want to get too excited about the prospect of seeing it with the naked eye. With an absolute magnitude of 27.6, 2024 PT5 is too faint to be seen with most amateur telescopes, so we’ll have to settle for knowing that it’s there, circling around us.

Researchers believe the asteroid could be a member of the Arjuna family, a group of near-Earth objects with orbits similar to our own. These objects owe their name to the ancient Indian prince, hero of the Hindu epic Mahibharata.

“These orbital elements are consistent with those of the Argonas, a group of small, near-Earth objects with weak resonances.” [objetos cercanos a la Tierra] “In a secondary asteroid belt that surrounds the path followed by the Earth-Moon system,” the researchers wrote in their study published in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.

Read more at Dr.W.