Tech Desk
Sep 16, 2024
Get ready for a new celestial visitor that is going to be starting September 29, a small asteroid named 2024 PT5 would become Earth's temporary mini-moon for 53 days. This exciting event is known as a "temporarily captured flyby."
Here’s when to expect and how to see this celestial event.
Asteroid 2024 PT5
The Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System was discovered in 2024 PT5, measuring about 10 meters in width.
Researchers say that this asteroid is the ideal combination of its size, speed, and trajectory, making it perfect for Earth to capture temporarily during its stay, where it would orbit Earth once before resuming its path through the solar system.
Earth regularly captures small near-Earth object (NEO) objects into temporary orbits. These temporary captures happen when asteroids orbit around Earth and the Sun along "horseshoe orbiters."
Read more: Partial Lunar Eclipse to grace skies during September’s Supermoon
Of the mini-moons, most do not complete even one full orbit before returning to their heliocentric paths.
Origins of 2024 PT5
Researchers believe 2024 PT5 probably comes from the Arjuna asteroid family since it orbits the Sun under similar conditions as Earth. These are based on the space rock orbit that seems to fit other natural objects to be considered a fragment of space debris.
This would be a mini-moon in nature and would therefore be invisible to the naked eye. If you still want to observe it, there is the possibility of using a telescope or binoculars.
The closest approach to Earth would be on 15 October, so this would be the best time to watch the asteroid. You can use online planetarium software or mobile apps like SkySafari or Stellarium to track the path of the asteroid and get optimal times for viewing.
