Asteroid art.afb. Credits; University of Michigan
This autumn has started in a very special way. Soon, at the end of September, Earth can welcome a new mini-moon. It is 2024 PT5, a near-Earth asteroid with a diameter of 11 meters. 2024 PT5 is expected to orbit Earth for a few months.
2024 PT5 is known as the Arjuna asteroid and its existence has been revealed in a study published in the journal Research Notes of American Astronomical society. The rock approaches the Earth at a low relative speed, enters orbit on September 29 and leaves on November 25, returning to the Sun’s orbit. It will also come very close to Earth on January 9, 2025. According to scientists, Earth regularly “captures” NEOs and pulls them into orbit, turning them into mini-moons. Scientists describe the minimoon as a “temporarily captured flyby.” of According to The SkyLive, 2024 PT5 is currently located in the constellation Draco in the Northern Hemisphere’s northern sky.
2024 PT5 is about 3 million kilometers from Earth. The stone cannot be seen with the naked eye 22 it is too weak. Only astronomers using large 30-inch professional telescopes can see it. NEAs—one of which is 2004 PT5—are generally thought to originate in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. of 2024 PT5 specifically comes from the Arjuna asteroid belt, whose orbit is similar to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. of 2024 PT5 was discovered on August 7 by the South African asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope, which also discovered Comet A3 with the naked eye (visible around October 12 .as, see here). And WowAlthough there is only one real object orbiting the earth – the moon, our planet has virtual satellites. One of these is Kamo’oalewa, which moves in synchrony with the Earth in a 1-1 resonance, so it appears to orbit the Earth, when in fact it orbits the Sun. Kamo’oalewa, also called 2016 HO3, means “oscillating celestial body” in Hawaii and is about 40-100 meters wide, see a YT video of this “companion” of Earth. And look here is a scientific article from 2024 PT5. Sources; Forbes/USAToday
