Double Vision: Get Ready for a Rare Celestial Spectacle as Two Moons Align in the Night Sky
- Diameter of 11 meters makes it difficult to observe with the naked eye
- Asteroids are subject to intensive observation for potential economic use
- A unique astronomical phenomenon is set to occur, where an additional moon will appear on Earth for about two months starting later this year.
Asteroid “2024 PT5” Orbits Earth for Two Months
Diameter of 11 meters makes it difficult to observe with the naked eye
Asteroids are subject to intensive observation for potential economic use
A unique astronomical phenomenon is set to occur, where an additional moon will appear on Earth for about two months starting later this year. The identity of the new moon is an asteroid, approximately the size of a four-story apartment building in diameter. A wandering asteroid in space is expected to orbit Earth as it is temporarily captured by Earth’s gravity.
According to a report by Space.com, a team of researchers from the Complutene Generation in Madrid, Spain, discovered an asteroid that is expected to orbit the Earth for 57 days, from November 29 to January 25 next year. The results of the research were published in ’Research Notes’, an international academic journal published by the American Astronomical Society.
The asteroid, named “2024 PT5”, was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Final Alert System (ATLAS) operated by the United States. ATLAS consists of a total of four high-performance astronomical telescopes and scans the sky every day to check for asteroids approaching Earth.
2024 PT5 is expected to be captured while flying at low speed around Earth. In this process, it will approach Earth at a distance closer than the distance between Earth and the Moon (about 380,000 km). It will circle Earth in a distorted ellipse for 57 days and then bounce back into space.
However, observing 2024 PT5 from the ground will be challenging. With a diameter of 11 meters, it is too small to be seen with the naked eye from the ground. To observe 2024 PT5 from the ground, you need to use a telescope with an objective lens diameter greater than 76 cm and an image sensor.
Asteroids like 2024 PT5 passing close to Earth and being temporarily captured by Earth’s gravity occur once every 10-20 years. This means that it is not a very rare phenomenon.
However, the capture of 2024 PT5 in Earth orbit is attracting attention due to the development of new space technology in recent years. Asteroids are often filled with minerals such as iron and nickel. Extracting minerals from asteroids and transporting them to Earth could yield enormous economic benefits.
Some asteroids also contain water, which can be used as a natural space station to travel to other distant celestial bodies. Hydrogen can be obtained by decomposing water, which is intended to be used as rocket fuel. If we want to exploit asteroids someday, we need to take a closer look at asteroids that come to Earth on their own and orbit the Earth for a period of time, like 2024 PT5.
The researchers predict that 2024 PT5 will orbit Earth again in January next year and in 2055. They plan to analyze the close contact of 2024 PT5 with the Earth and Moon systems.