At The End Of The Month, Earth Will Temporality Have Two Moons

Earth is set to experience a rare and fascinating celestial event at the end of this month – the temporary addition of a second moon. Yes, you read that right! Our single-moon planet will momentarily have a new companion in the sky in the form of a mini-moon. In actuality, this is a tiny asteroid that will be in orbit around Earth from the end of this month until November 25th.

One Earth, Two Moons

Okay, so this is not a moon in the same sense of our regular moon that is in constant orbit around the planet. Rather, this unusual occurrence is set to take place due to an asteroid known as ‘2024 PT5’ making its way into Earth’s orbit for a brief period. While our familiar moon has been faithfully circling Earth for the past four billion years, next week, it will be joined on its journey by this asteroid, originating from the Arjuna asteroid belt. This is a secondary asteroid belt with space rocks that have orbits closely resembling Earth’s. (1)

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About 2024 PT5

Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, the research lead on this incredible phenomenon, explained that the asteroid will come within a distance of just 2.8 million miles from Earth. While this may seem like a vast distance, in the realm of space, it is relatively close. Traveling at a speed of 2,200mph, the asteroid will be in Earth’s vicinity for about two months, before possibly orbiting Earth again in January. While that speed may seem fast, in the realm of space things it isn’t. For context, the international space station orbits at 17,500 mph. (2)

“In order to become a mini-moon, an incoming body has to approach Earth slowly at close range,” de la Fuente Marcos explained. (3)

“Whether an asteroid gets captured by Earth is independent of its size or mass, it only depends on its speed and trajectory as it approaches the Earth-Moon system,” Robert Jedicke, a specialist emeritus on solar system bodies at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, explained further in an email to CNN. “Almost all the asteroids that approach Earth do so too fast and at the wrong angle to be captured, but sometimes the combined tugs of all the objects in the solar system contrive to allow a particular (slow) object at the right angle to be briefly captured.”

The Arjuna Asteroid Belt

The Arjuna asteroid belt is filled with a diverse array of space rocks and due to its proximity to our orbit, offers the potential for fascinating interactions such as the one we are about to witness. Marcos likened the asteroid’s relationship with Earth to that of a window shopper, highlighting that while it won’t complete a full orbit like our moon, it will still have a brief but intriguing presence in our celestial neighborhood.

“It will not follow a full orbit around Earth. You may say that if a true satellite is like a customer buying goods inside a store, objects like 2024 PT5 are window shoppers.” he said.

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How To Spot It

Although spotting this mini-moon may not be possible with standard household telescopes or binoculars, professional telescopes with a diameter of at least 30 inches equipped with CCD or CMOS detectors will be able to capture a glimpse of this captivating celestial event. The asteroid is too small and dim for amateur equipment, underscoring the unique nature of this astronomical occurrence.

The Incredible Outer Space

As we eagerly await this temporary addition to our night sky, let us marvel at the wonders of the cosmos and appreciate the intricate dance of celestial bodies that occurs around us. The presence of a second moon, albeit fleeting, serves as a reminder of the vast universe beyond our own planet and invites us to gaze upwards in awe and wonder at the mysteries of space.

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