The unusual asteroid ‘mini moon’, designated as 2024 PT5, has just ended its two-month visit near the earth and will soon part from it, on Monday, when the sun’s gravity will be stronger than the earth’s.
The 33-foot-wide asteroid entered the vicinity of earth at the end of September and has since attracted interest from scientists and space enthusiasts.
The official statement by NASA made it clear that the so-called ‘mini moon’, 2024PT5, was not ever captured in the gravity of the earth nor did it orbit the earth but is thought to be a piece of the moon that came off after being hit in a big impact event.
The asteroid was identified by astronomers Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from Complutense University of Madrid and was observed to follow a horseshoe-shaped orbit around the earth. The research, collaborated with telescopes in the Canary Islands, included hundreds of observations to try and track its path.
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Currently, two million miles outside of Earth, the asteroid, being too faint, could not be viewed using high-power telescope. However, it will approach again in January just 1.1 million miles closer to Earth, therefore much nearer yet safe-grounded. At this point, scientists will again have a chance of getting information.
NASA plans to undertake the Goldstone Solar System Radar operation, located in California’s Mojave Desert, to study 2024 PT5 during its January approach. The results could inform understanding about its composition and trajectory.
It will be back next in the year 2055, during which point it is going to follow a partial similar path across the earth for a very short time before continuing onward with its solar orbit.
So, now, as 2024 PT5 is speeding up, doubling its speed from what it was at the beginning of September, scientists prepare for it making a short appearance in early next year.
