Earth's new mini-moon!
Earth has a best friend in space - our Moon! But guess what? We might get a new, tiny space friend soon!
An asteroid named 2024 PT5, 33 feet long (about the size of a car), is coming close to Earth. Don’t worry, it won’t crash! Instead, Earth’s gravity will pull it in for a few days, and it’ll act like a mini-moon for a few days.
After that, it will zoom away into space. For a little while, we’ll have two moons! How cool is that?
How long will it remain as a mini-moon?
Earth's gravity will trap the mini-moon between 29th September 2024 and 25th November 2024. By 25th November, it will leave Earth's orbit and continue its trip across space.
Scientists are excited but also curious. They wonder if the mini-moon will go around the Earth before it leaves. We’ll have to wait and see!
The mini-moon is so small that you won’t be able to see it with your eyes alone. Special telescopes will help scientists observe it and learn all about our tiny space friend.
Have such incidents occurred before?
Similar incidents have been observed in the past. In 2006, one asteroid stayed for a year, and another hung around until 2020. Recently, an asteroid named 2022 NX1 became a mini-moon for a bit!
These space rocks don’t stay long. They just visit Earth for a short time before zooming away. Scientists get super excited because it’s a chance to learn more about space.
Isn’t it amazing to think about all the secrets space has to share?
