Earth to have new mini-moon for two months
A small asteroid, 2024 PT5, will orbit Earth for two months, completing one orbit in 53 days. It likely originated from the Arjuna asteroid belt and poses no collision risk.
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A small asteroid, designated 2024 PT5, is set to become a temporary mini-moon for Earth, orbiting the planet for approximately two months. Researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, published their findings in the journal Research Notes of the AAS. The asteroid, measuring about 10 meters in diameter, was discovered last month and is not on a collision course with Earth. Instead, it will be captured by Earth's gravity, completing one orbit in 53 days, starting at the end of September and departing in mid-November. The researchers determined that 2024 PT5 likely originated from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which contains asteroids with orbits similar to Earth's. This phenomenon of temporary capture is not uncommon; previous instances have seen small asteroids orbiting Earth for extended periods before being ejected back into space.
- A small asteroid, 2024 PT5, will orbit Earth for two months.
- The asteroid is about 10 meters wide and was discovered recently.
- It will complete one orbit around Earth in 53 days.
- The asteroid likely comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt.
- Temporary captures of asteroids by Earth have occurred before.
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4 commentsThey better be careful, though, or else we'll have another Pluto situation where we try to classify something and end up classifying it out of its own category.
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