In a rare occurrence, Earth has a temporary companion, a mini-moon for two months. This moon is called the ‘2024 PT5’. Unlike our permanent moon, this mini-moon is usually a small asteroid or rock that gets caught by Earth’s gravitational pull. Once it enters Earth's orbit, it stays for a while before eventually escaping into space again. This asteroid will stay in earth's orbit for about two months.
What is mini-moon?
The ‘2024 PT5' was first detected by Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an automated sytem funded by NASA to monitor potential asteroid impacts. A mini-moon is an asteroid or space rock that enters Earth’s orbit and acts like a second, much smaller moon for a short time. These mini moons don’t stay forever; they eventually break free of Earth's gravity and continue their journey through space.
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The last mini-moon, known as 2020 CD3, was observed in 2020. It was a tiny object, around three meters across. Before vanishing, it spent roughly two months in Earth's orbit. Because mini moons are uncommon and transient, they are fascinating research subjects.
Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, an astronomer at the Complutense University of Madrid and co-author of the study told The New York Times, “Every time an object with an orbit so Earth-like is discovered, there is a chance that we are just recovering space debris.” However, this time it a actually a “natural object”, she further added.
What is the mini-moon's connection to Mahabharata?
The orbital characteristics of this asteroid are similar to those of asteroids from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which is described as "a sparsely resonant population of small NEOs."
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According to a Times of India report, Dr. Anil Kumar, the head of Isro's Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA), this group of asteroids is named after the valiant character Arjuna from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The solar system has a unique place for the Arjuna asteroids. The asteroid "1991 VG" was found in 1991 by Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory, which is when the naming originated.
