Earth will get the gift of mini moon
Earth’s Moon is soon going to get a temporary tiny companion, which is being called a mini-moon. It will be a tiny moon that will orbit our Earth for about two months. This way, we will see not one but two moons in the sky for two months. This is a rare phenomenon in which an asteroid will come within the gravitational field of Earth and will keep orbiting the Earth from September 29 to November 25 this year. Asteroid 2024 PT5 was spotted on August 7 using the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), NASA’s asteroid impact early warning system.
It will orbit the earth for two months
According to a report published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, this asteroid is not very big with a diameter of just 10 meters (33 feet). During its 53-day stint around Earth, 2024 PT5 will not be able to make a complete orbit, instead it will make a horseshoe rotation before getting separated from the Earth’s gravitational pull. This will help in understanding the gravitational force of the Earth better. This asteroid has been orbiting the Earth since September 9 and will continue to do so for the next 77 days i.e. till November 25.
Mini moon can be seen with special technology
After November 25, the 2024 PT5 asteroid will be free from Earth’s gravity and return to the Sun’s orbit. Many asteroids have orbited the Earth before this, but 2024 PT5 will be so faint that it cannot be seen with the naked eye or telescopes. It can only be seen with an advanced observatory with 22 magnitude.
