Earth gains a new temporary “moon” with asteroid 2024 PT5 until November

The Earth will capture asteroid 2024 PT5 for 53 days, forming a temporary “mini-moon.” It can only be seen through telescopes, and will return to space in November.

Starting this week, Earth will gain a new temporary “moon” with the arrival of asteroid 2024 PT5. The asteroid is about 10 meters in diameter, and was attracted by Earth’s gravity and will orbit our planet for a brief period of 53 days, until November 25.

2024 PT5 was identified by researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid, and belongs to the Arjuna asteroid group, known for its Earth-like orbits, about 150 million kilometers from the Sun. Asteroids from this group are sometimes captured by Earth’s gravity, as happened with 2024 PT5. Which was discovered on August 7, 2024 by the ATLAS system, which operates it NASA and University of Hawaii.

Although it is nicknamed the “Little Moon,” asteroid 2024 PT5 is too small to be seen with the naked eye. Its diameter is only 10 meters, and it is necessary to use specialized telescopes to observe it. Institutions around the world are taking advantage of the asteroid’s passage to better study the Arjuna asteroid group and search for more information about its composition and origin.

This phenomenon is relatively rare, but not unheard of. In 2020, the Earth’s gravity captured asteroid CD3 and it remained in its orbit for three years. However, the capture of 2024 PT5 will be short and will not complete a full orbit before continuing its path back into space, without posing any danger to Earth.

Visiting asteroid 2024 PT5 will be a unique opportunity for astronomers and scientists to collect valuable data. It is expected that after this period, the asteroid will not approach Earth again until 2055.

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