Temporary Moon to Orbit Earth from September 29 to November 25, 2024

Scientists from the Complutense University of Madrid have revealed that from September 29 to November 25, 2024, our world will have a temporary moon. The asteroid, called “2024 PT5,” will become Earth’s moon for a short period of about 2 months.

Asteroid 2024 PT5 was monitored by scientists with the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, a NASA-funded asteroid tracking system that uses equipment at Sutherland, South Africa.

“Objects that will visit Earth this time are from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which is a rocky asteroid belt and has an orbit similar to Earth’s. Objects in the asteroid belt are part of a group of near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets.”

Carlos Marcos, Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid

Asteroid 2024 PT5 is approximately 11 meters in diameter and has an orbital path close enough to Earth to be captured by Earth’s gravity during the period of September 29 to November 25, 2024. During this period, 2024 PT5 will become Earth’s temporary moon over a period of about 56 days, following a horseshoe trajectory.

By definition, international astronomy defines a “moon” as “solid astronomical objects orbiting planets, dwarf planets, or asteroids.”

This is not the first time Earth has attracted a temporary moon. In the past, Earth has attracted no less than 5 asteroids, such as asteroid 2006 RH120, which is small, about 2-3 meters, and orbits to Earth at a distance of 1.74 million km between July 2006 and July 2007.

Although many people are waiting to see the new moon, its small size means it has a brightness level of only 27.6. To observe it, you would need an 8-meter telescope exposed to light all night, making it impossible for anyone to easily view it with their devices.

References:

• space.com (Earth will have another moon this month, but not for long)
• cbsnews.com (Earth will have a second “mini-moon” for 2 months this year)