Earth Says Goodbye to 'Mini Moon'

For the past two months, an asteroid named 2024 PT5 has been circling Earth like a "mini Moon."

And now, Earth is preparing to say goodbye to this special 'mini Moon'.

Because the Sun's gravitational pull is stronger than Earth's, the 10-meter-diameter asteroid will be separated from its old orbit. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said the asteroid may have originated from a meteorite impact on the Moon . NASA will also use radar to track the asteroid's path. And it is expected that Earth will have the opportunity to meet the 'mini moon' again after the asteroid completes its trip around the Sun in 31 years.

This "mini moon" belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt.

Previously, according to a study published by the American Astronomical Society in late September, it is expected that Earth's gravity will pull an asteroid into orbit in 2 months. This means that this bus-sized asteroid will become Earth's ' mini moon' .

The asteroid will be in Earth's orbit between September 29 and November 25 , then return to the asteroid belt around the Sun.

"The object that will visit us belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt . This is a secondary belt of space rocks and moves in an orbit very similar to Earth's," said Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos at the Complutense University of Madrid, who led the study.

Mr. Carlos de la Fuente Marcos explained that some asteroids in the Arjuna belt could come close to Earth , at a distance of 4.5 million km.

If their speed is low, around 3,540km/h, their journey could be strongly influenced by the Earth's magnetic field. Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos said that under such conditions, the asteroid could become a temporary moon of the Earth. However, he added that it would not follow a full orbit around the Earth.

The asteroid was discovered on August 7 and is 10 metres long. Scientists predict that this 'mini-moon' will return to Earth's orbit in 2055.

This is also not Earth's first 'mini moon', with similar events occurring in 1981 and 2022.