The asteroid, which was found as a part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impression Final Alert System, is about 10 meters throughout. The researchers calculated that its measurement, pace, and trajectory will enable it to be captured by Earth’s gravitational subject for 53 days. Throughout this time, it’s going to orbit Earth earlier than persevering with its journey by means of the photo voltaic system.
“2024 PT5 will circle the Earth one time earlier than it escapes again into house,” the researchers famous of their paper. This phenomenon is called a “quickly captured flyby,” the place asteroids enter Earth’s gravitational pull however don’t full a number of orbits, not like different mini-moons which have remained certain to Earth for longer intervals.
Previous mini-moons have proven related habits. As an illustration, in 2006, an asteroid stayed in Earth’s orbit for practically a 12 months earlier than drifting away, and one other remained in orbit for a number of years earlier than leaving in 2020. These short-term occasions happen usually as Earth captures small asteroids from the Close to-Earth Object (NEO) inhabitants.
Asteroids that comply with paths resembling 2024 PT5’s are often called “horseshoe orbiters” because of their trajectory across the Earth and the Solar. These our bodies typically method our planet at low relative velocities, making it potential for them to be pulled into Earth’s orbit quickly. Nonetheless, most of those mini-moons don’t full a full revolution across the planet earlier than escaping again into their heliocentric orbits.
The asteroid’s origins are additionally of curiosity. The researchers counsel that 2024 PT5 seemingly comes from the Arjuna asteroid group, which shares an orbit across the Solar much like Earth’s. This conclusion stems from the asteroid’s path, which carefully matches that of different naturally occurring objects, ruling out the opportunity of it being a bit of house particles.
Whereas the mini-moon shall be a short-term customer, its presence highlights Earth’s common interactions with NEOs.
