Double the Delight: Earth to Get a Temporary ‘Mini Moon’ Companion for 2 Mesmerizing Months

Earth to Gain ‍a Temporary‍ ‘Minimoon’ from September 29 to November 25

According‌ to recent reports​ from foreign news agencies, researchers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, a NASA-funded asteroid tracking system, have discovered an‌ asteroid in Sutherland, South⁤ Africa, designated as 2024 ⁣PT5.

This asteroid, measuring approximately 10 meters in length, will⁢ be significantly smaller ‍than⁢ Earth’s Moon, which has a diameter of about 3,474 kilometers. The asteroid’s trajectory will ‍be influenced ‌by Earth’s gravity, causing it ​to orbit our planet for about two months ⁣and become a temporary ‘minimoon’.

The asteroid’s orbit will last from September 29 to November 25, with an average distance of about 4.5 million kilometers⁢ from Earth. After breaking its orbit,​ the​ asteroid will return to its original position in the asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It​ is expected to return to Earth’s orbit again in 2055.

Professor Carlos de la ⁣Fuente Marcos, head of the research team from the Complutense University of Madrid, explained that the ⁤asteroid originates from the ‘Arjuna’ asteroid belt, a secondary asteroid belt with an⁤ orbit similar to that of Earth. ⁤The asteroid’s slow speed ⁣of approximately 3,540 km/h⁢ will​ cause its path to be influenced ⁢by Earth’s gravity, ​potentially making ‌it a ⁢temporary moon.

Although the asteroid is⁢ too small ⁣to be visible to the naked eye or with ⁤standard telescopes ⁢and binoculars, professional astronomers using advanced telescopes may be able to observe ⁣it. This‌ is not the first​ instance of⁤ a ‘minimoon’ visiting Earth, as two similar events occurred in 1981 and 2022.