Earth will gain a second moon this month, albeit for a short time. This new “mini-moon” is essentially a small asteroid called 2024 PT5. This asteroid will only remain around Earth for two months and then continue to orbit the Sun. This situation that will be experienced is very temporary, unlike the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite that has existed for billions of years.

Scientists specializing in mini-lunar events, 2024 This temporary transient event where PT5 will enter Earth’s gravitational field detected. Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and lead author of the study on the subject, stated that 2024 PT5 is one of the asteroids called the “Arjuna asteroid belt” that orbits very close to Earth.

Asteroids in this belt can generally come as close as 4.5 million km to Earth and move at relatively low speeds of 3,540 km per hour. Under these conditions Asteroids can temporarily become satellites of Earth.

How and why is a mini-moon formed?

Mini-lunar events come in two types. The first are long-term events, where the asteroid can make one or more orbits around the Earth, lasting several years. The second type consists of short-term interactions where the asteroid does not make a full orbit, such as in 2024 PT5, and lasts only days, weeks or a few months. It is suggested that 2024 PT5 will not make a full orbit around the Earth during this period, but will remain as a temporary satellite of the planet.

How often do Mini Moon events occur?

Brief mini-lunar events, that is, a small object that temporarily falls under Earth’s gravity, It can happen several times every 10 years. Long-term situations are very rare and can occur once every twenty years. These temporary satellites eventually leave Earth’s orbit due to the gravitational influence of the sun. After his two-month stay in 2024 PT5, Arjuna returns to the asteroid belt.

Unfortunately, PT5 will be too small and dim to be seen by many space enthusiasts in 2024. Professional astronomers will need telescopes with a diameter of at least 70 centimeters to observe this asteroid. Marcos and his team plan to perform spectroscopic and photometric observations to better understand the nature of this mini-moon.

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