A second moon is coming to Earth: 'Mini-moon' will appear on September 29

Scientists have announced that we will have a "second moon" that will orbit Earth for a while. A small asteroid that enters Earth's gravitational pull will temporarily become our planet's satellite as a "mini-moon."

This visitor from space will orbit Earth for a few months starting September 29 before moving away again. Unfortunately, the 'second moon' is too small to be seen with the naked eye. If you have a professional telescope and know where to look, you will be able to see it soon.

This asteroid was first detected on August 7 by NASA's asteroid alert system. Scientists studied the asteroid's orbit and determined that the object, known as '2024 PT5', broke off from the Arjuna asteroid belt.

These types of asteroids can sometimes come relatively close to Earth, approaching within 4.5 million kilometers. According to scientists, if an asteroid has a relatively slow speed of 3,540 kilometers per hour, Earth's gravitational pull can temporarily capture the object into its orbit.

This is exactly what will happen to this asteroid, which will accompany Earth for two months.

IT WILL ORBIT EARTH FOR 2 MONTHS

Dr. Jennifer Millard, host of the podcast Awesome Astronomy, noted in a statement to the BBC that the asteroid will orbit Earth between September 29 and November 25.

The asteroid is approximately 10 meters long. In other words, it is very small compared to Earth's moon. It is not possible to see a celestial body of this size with binoculars or home telescopes.

Dr. Millard says, "Professional telescopes will be able to see it. So you will be able to see many beautiful photos of it on the internet as it spins at an enormous speed." "Mini-moons" like this have been detected before, and it is even estimated that many have accompanied Earth and disappeared without being detected. Some asteroids have even visited Earth again after a similar movement. The 2022 NX1 asteroid became Earth's "mini-moon" in both 1981 and 2022.

It is estimated that the 2024 PT5 asteroid's upcoming two-month visit to Earth will repeat in 2055.

Dr. Millard says, "This event shows how busy our solar system is and how many things there are yet to be discovered. Because we only discovered this asteroid this year."

News Source: 12punto