Watch Earth’s Mini Moon 2024 PT5 Departing: When and How

Earth’s Temporary Second Moon: Asteroid 2024 PT5

Earth’s temporary ‘second moon,’ asteroid 2024 PT5, will leave our orbit soon. It has been around for about two months and is expected to depart on November 25, just before Thanksgiving. This asteroid, measuring 33 feet wide, was discovered by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).

2024 PT5 is thought to have originated from the moon. Its chemical makeup and rapid rotation indicate it could be a piece of the moon that broke off during ancient collisions. Unlike proper moons, mini-moons like this one have orbits that resemble Earth’s trajectory around the sun due to their low speeds when captured by our gravity.

Spectral analysis reveals that the asteroid matches lunar samples from previous space missions. This suggests that it may have formed from materials ejected from the moon after an impact that left craters on its surface.

How to Observe the Mini-Moon

Finding asteroid 2024 PT5 will be challenging because of its faintness. To see it, astronomers recommend using telescopes with at least a 30-inch diameter. After it leaves, you won’t have a chance to observe another mini-moon like this until 2055.

Understanding the Mini-Moon’s Origin

The giant impact hypothesis explains that Earth may be the ‘grandparent’ of the mini-moon. This theory suggests that the moon formed 4 billion years ago when a massive crash sent molten materials into space, which cooled and turned into the moon.

Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, the lead researcher, stated that multiple indications support the idea that this asteroid has a lunar origin. The mini-moon’s rapid rotation, less than an hour, is typical if it is a large boulder from the moon’s surface or a fragment of a larger body.

Asteroid 2024 PT5 belongs to the Arjuna asteroid group, a collection of space rocks with paths similar to Earth’s orbit around the sun. Some members of this group can approach Earth from distances as close as 2.8 million miles while traveling at speeds below 2,200 miles per hour.

The most notable difference between a moon and objects like 2024 PT5 is that the latter does not orbit Earth fully. Marcos compares this to a shopper looking through a store window rather than buying anything.