Earth will get another moon this month — but not for long!
Earth will temporarily capture a second moon, 2024 PT5, for two months as it passes through the Arjuna asteroid belt.
Earth will temporarily gain a second moon this month in the form of the small asteroid 2024 PT5. This celestial object, unlike Earth's primary moon, will only remain for about two months before resuming its path around the sun. The phenomenon was identified by a team of scientists who specialize in tracking 'mini-moon events,' a process that tracks dynamic behaviors of small bodies approaching Earth.
Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, explains that 2024 PT5 originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt. This belt contains objects with orbits similar to Earth at an average distance of 93 million miles from the sun. Under specific conditions, such as low velocity and close proximity (around 2.8 million miles), these objects can be temporarily captured by Earth's gravity.
Marcos noted that short mini-moon events are relatively frequent, occurring several times per decade, while long captures are rare, happening every ten or twenty years. This upcoming event involving 2024 PT5 belongs to the short capture category. However, during its brief stay, it will be too small and dim to be observed with typical amateur telescopes.