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Earth Will Have A Temporary 'Mini-Moon' For Two Months

An asteroid approximately the size of a school bus, measuring 10 meters, is being referred to as a 'mini-moon' and it will soon be accompanying the Earth's moon. The mini-moon will orbit the Earth for nearly 57 days but will not complete a full orbit.

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By AP (Associated Press)

Published : Sep 28, 2024, 9:24 AM IST

FILE - A supermoon with a partial lunar eclipse rises over Lake Michigan in Chicago, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
FILE - A supermoon with a partial lunar eclipse rises over Lake Michigan in Chicago, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP)

Washington: Earth's moon will soon have some company a mini-moon. The mini-moon is an asteroid about the size of a school bus at 10 metres. When it whizzes by Earth on Sunday, it will be temporarily trapped by our planet's gravity and orbit the globe but only for about two months. The space rock 2024 PT5 was first spotted in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a powerful telescope located in Sutherland, South Africa. These short-lived mini-moons are likely more common than we realise, said Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The last known one was detected in 2020.

"This happens with some frequency, but we rarely see them because they're very small and very hard to detect," he said. "Only recently has our survey capability reached the point of spotting them routinely." The discovery by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Ral de la Fuente Marcos was published by the American Astronomical Society. This one won't be visible to the naked eye or through amateur telescopes, but it "can be observed with relatively large, research-grade telescopes," Carlos de la Fuente Marcos said in an email.

Binzel, who was not involved in the research, said it's not clear whether the space rock originated as an asteroid or as a chunk of the moon that got blasted out. The mini-moon will circle the globe for almost 57 days but won't complete a full orbit. On November 25, it will part ways with the Earth and continue its solo trajectory through the cosmos. It's expected to pass by again in 2055.

Read More

  1. Astronauts Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore Stuck In Space | What Is It Like Being There: 'Moon Man Of India' Explains
  2. Soil From Far Side Of Moon Brought By Chinese Probe 'Distinct Characteristics' Compared To Other Lunar Samples

Washington: Earth's moon will soon have some company a mini-moon. The mini-moon is an asteroid about the size of a school bus at 10 metres. When it whizzes by Earth on Sunday, it will be temporarily trapped by our planet's gravity and orbit the globe but only for about two months. The space rock 2024 PT5 was first spotted in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a powerful telescope located in Sutherland, South Africa. These short-lived mini-moons are likely more common than we realise, said Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The last known one was detected in 2020.

"This happens with some frequency, but we rarely see them because they're very small and very hard to detect," he said. "Only recently has our survey capability reached the point of spotting them routinely." The discovery by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Ral de la Fuente Marcos was published by the American Astronomical Society. This one won't be visible to the naked eye or through amateur telescopes, but it "can be observed with relatively large, research-grade telescopes," Carlos de la Fuente Marcos said in an email.

Binzel, who was not involved in the research, said it's not clear whether the space rock originated as an asteroid or as a chunk of the moon that got blasted out. The mini-moon will circle the globe for almost 57 days but won't complete a full orbit. On November 25, it will part ways with the Earth and continue its solo trajectory through the cosmos. It's expected to pass by again in 2055.

Read More

  1. Astronauts Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore Stuck In Space | What Is It Like Being There: 'Moon Man Of India' Explains
  2. Soil From Far Side Of Moon Brought By Chinese Probe 'Distinct Characteristics' Compared To Other Lunar Samples

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