The moon has company! This is asteroid 2024 PT5, Earth’s second satellite

In a first-of-its-kind astronomical finding, scientists have confirmed that Earth now hosts a second moon. This new satellite, named asteroid 2024 PT5, was captured into a temporary orbit by our planet’s gravitational pull on September 29, 2024.

Discovery made possible by cutting-edge telescope technology

This exciting discovery was made upon using an extremely powerful telescope in Sutherland, South Africa, by Complutense University of Madrid astronomers to observe this. The said asteroid is so small, measuring just 37 feet or 11 meters in diameter, and for quite some time now has it been captured by the Earth’s gravity and now turned into a “mini-moon.”

Richard Binzel, an astronomer at MIT says, “Although these events occur with some regularity they are very hard to detect due to their small size.” Only recently have we developed the technological capability to spot them routinely.

To give one a size comparison:

But despite the small size, the mini-satellite returns loads of critical information about our cosmic backyard and the dynamics of near-Earth objects.

Odyssey of Earth’s new mini-moon

Asteroid 2024 PT5 is part of the Arjuna asteroid population located at distances from the Sun similar to that of Earth’s orbit, which is about 93 million miles or 150 million km. Some of those asteroids can reach a point as close as about 2.8 million miles or 4.5 million km from Earth. They move at relatively low speeds, less than 2,200 miles per hour or 3,500 km/h.

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This is according to NASA’s Horizons system, from which capture of asteroid 2024 PT5 began on September 29, 2024, at 3:54 p.m. EDT and will end on November 25, 2024, at 11:43 a.m. EDT, which only means it shall be in Earth’s orbit for a very short period of time.

According to expert Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, who studies mini-moons, these kinds of asteroids act like “window shoppers.” He expands, “Asteroid 2024 PT5 will not complete an orbit around Earth: just a visitor that only presses its nose against the shop window from outside, not a customer who enters inside.”

This cosmic visitor has reminded us that the solar system is a place of eternal activity and change. While temporarily resident in Earth orbit, it provides us with the rare opportunity to make astronomical observations of the same.

Scientific value of mini-moons

According to scientists, mini-moons like 2024 PT5 provide a deeper understanding of near-Earth objects. Such temporarily captured bodies are, so to say, “natural cosmic laboratories” that can yield clues regarding asteroid composition and the complex processes in our solar system.

Richard Binzel said, “These temporary captures are very important because they give us a view into the small bodies that come near Earth and may have relevance for future space missions.”

Mini-moons are too small and faint to see for amateur astronomers, but they can, however, be detected with professional telescopes. To see 2024 PT5 would require specialized equipment.

The mini-moons research will add to knowledge about near-Earth asteroids and their hazards. For that, scientists are capable of developing refinements in predictive models, adding to our capability for averting possible collisions.

Future implications and ongoing research

With better technology in the near future, study of these transient objects should be even closer. Future missions may even attempt sample returns or test new spacecraft designs against mini-moons as targets.

READ ALSO: The earth will have a new moon at the end of September according to scientists. What do we know so far?

The discovery of mini-moons like 2024 PT5 highlights how dynamic the space environment really is. The reminder is that our solar system is in a state of flux, full of mysteries waiting to be unraveled.

While Earth’s second moon has been just a temporary visitor, it opens exciting possibilities for research and new discoveries. As we go deeper into space exploration, who knows what other secrets are waiting ahead? The universe always has something new to offer, and with each discovery, we move closer to unraveling its profound mysteries.

*This article was written in Spanish and translated with the help of AI.