New York (Agencies)): Earth is set to temporarily acquire a new celestial companion, as an asteroid known as 2024 PT5 will enter Earth’s orbit on September 29th.
This phenomenon, often referred to as a “mini-moon,” will see the asteroid complete a single orbit around our planet before departing on November 25th.
Discovered by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7, 2024, 2024 PT5 is approximately 10 meters wide, about the size of a city bus.
During its 56-day orbit, the asteroid will follow a horseshoe-shaped trajectory around Earth before being pulled back towards the Sun.
Although 2024 PT5 will not be visible to most amateur telescopes due to its small size and dim magnitude, professional astronomers will closely monitor its path.
This event provides a unique opportunity to study near-Earth objects and their interactions with our planet’s gravitational field.
Such mini-moons are rare but not unprecedented. They offer valuable insights into the behavior of asteroids in close proximity to Earth and potential future asteroid mining opportunities.