Earth is set to temporarily host a “mini-moon” as the 33-foot-wide asteroid 2024 PT5 gets caught in its gravitational pull. From September 29 to November 25, the asteroid will orbit our planet, providing astronomers with a unique opportunity to study its size, shape, and composition. These observations will enhance our understanding of near-Earth asteroids and inform future research on similar objects. The findings were recently outlined in the non-peer-reviewed Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.
2024 PT5 was first seen on August 7 by a NASA-sponsored asteroid detecting system. The asteroid was then placed into orbit, which allowed it to be viewed by telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and South Africa. It was determined that the asteroid was edging close to our planet and would be momentarily trapped by our gravity. As it approached, the asteroid’s orbit changed from circular to elliptical. This is what caused it to take on the appearance of a mini moon, as its shadow fell across its surface. The asteroid is not giant enough to be seen with the naked eye or with most amateur telescopes, but it was still bright enough to be observed by professional observatories.
Stargazers and space enthusiasts have been delighted by this unusual occurrence, though it won’t last long. The asteroid will leave our vicinity on November 25 and continue its journey through the solar system.
This is not the first time that a small asteroid has been temporarily captured by our gravity and turned into a moon. The asteroid 2022 NX1, for example, was briefly a moon in 1981 and again in 2022. In this case, many factors had to line up for the asteroid to be captured by our gravity and then alter its orbit to match our planet’s.
It’s not the last time we’ll see a mini-moon either, as the asteroid 2006 RH120 will make several such passes of our planet and capture a mini-moon again in 2025. Astronomers will be monitoring this asteroid to get more details about its size, shape, and trajectory to help them improve their understanding of these brief visits from other space rocks that come close to our home. This may lead to better predictions of which asteroids will crash into our planet. These are critical insights because they could help us avoid disaster. If an asteroid did hit our planet, the impacts would likely be destructive and cause a mass extinction of life on Earth. The good news is that the odds of an impact are extremely low, based on several scientific calculations. Nevertheless, it’s better to be prepared. So, get out your binoculars and look up tonight.
