Earth is set to gain a temporary “mini-moon” as a small asteroid named 2024 PT5 is captured by our planet’s gravitational pull.
The asteroid will arrive on September 29 and remain in orbit for about two months before leaving on November 25.
At around 35 feet long, similar in size to a school bus, 2024 PT5 is expected to be too faint to be seen without professional telescopes.
Dan Bartlett, an astrophotographer from California, mentioned that capturing images of the asteroid will be challenging because it is faint even to most of the best amateur telescopes.
Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, the lead author of a recent study published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, explained that 2024 PT5 will follow a horseshoe-like path around Earth.
“You may say that if a true satellite is like a customer buying goods inside a store, objects like 2024 PT5 are window shoppers,” Carlos told Space.com. adding that the asteroid poses no threat to Earth.
First identified by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7, 2024 PT5 originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt, where many asteroids orbit relatively close to our planet sometimes as near as 2.8 million miles.
According to the study’s researchers, if an asteroid is travelling at about 2,200 mph, Earth’s gravity can temporarily capture it.
Although the asteroid will be difficult to spot with the naked eye, professional telescopes should be able to capture images as it moves past stars.
Mini-moons like 2024 PT5 are not unusual; some asteroids have made repeat visits. The 2022 NX1 asteroid first became a mini-moon in 1981 and returned in 2022. Scientists predict that 2024 PT5 will return to Earth’s orbit in 2055.
