Wed Sep 18 18:38:00 UTC 2024: ## Temporary Moon to Orbit Earth This Fall
A newly discovered asteroid, designated 2024 PT5, is set to become a temporary “mini-moon” for Earth this fall. The asteroid, measuring approximately 33 feet wide, was first spotted on August 7th by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).
2024 PT5 is expected to enter Earth’s orbit on September 29th and will remain there for about two months before breaking free from its gravitational pull on November 25th. This rare phenomenon, known as temporary capture, has occurred only a handful of times in recorded history.
Researchers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, who detailed the event in the journal Research Notes of the AAS, explain that Earth occasionally captures asteroids from the Near-Earth object (NEO) population, making them temporary moons.
While the asteroid’s small size and brief stay in Earth’s orbit have led to some debate about whether it truly qualifies as a mini-moon, the researchers confirmed it is a natural object. However, due to its small size, 2024 PT5 will be difficult to see with the naked eye.
The last recorded temporary moon was in 2022, when another asteroid, 2022 NX1, briefly orbited Earth. The trajectory of 2024 PT5 closely resembles that of 2022 NX1. This celestial visitor provides a unique opportunity to observe the temporary capture of objects by Earth’s gravity.
First Piper 