Farewell for now to Earth’s 'mini moon' which could be part of the Moon
This mini-moon phase has allowed scientists to study asteroid 2024 PT5 with powerful ground-based telescopes. Scientists said they now believe 2024 PT5 might have come from a crater on the Moon.
Watch: New video shows DART asteroid impact debris from Hubble space telescope
FILE VIDEO: A video NASA released on Wednesday shows the debris caused by the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission spacecraft slamming into the asteroid Dimorphos. (Courtesy: NASA / ESA / STScI / Jian-Yang Li (PSI) / Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
For about two months, Earth had a temporary second moon from an asteroid that scientists believe originated from our only Moon.
According to a study published in September, the asteroid 2024 PT5 had a horseshoe-like orbit from Sept. 29 until Nov. 25, when it was temporarily captured into Earth's orbit.
On Monday, the asteroid left its "mini-moon" phase with Earth as its path moved farther from our planet. However, for this near-Earth object (NEO), it's not goodbye, but see you later.
The study authors said that the 2024 asteroid PT5 will briefly approach a deep-space orbit of Earth in January before leaving the neighborhood again. The subsequent return will be in 2055.
STADIUM-SIZED ASTEROID TO ZOOM BY EARTH THANKSGIVING WEEK
Still, this mini-moon period has allowed scientists to study 2024 PT5 with powerful ground-based telescopes in Spain. A new paper by the study authors shows they believe 2024 PT5 might have come from a crater on the Moon.
A view of Giordano Bruno crater (21 km diameter) on the Moon taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Scientists believe this is the crater asteroid Kamo'oalewa originated from. (NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University)
The spectrum of 2024 PT5 is "well-matched" by samples of the Moon and may have a common origin with the well-known asteroid Kamo’oalewa, considered a quasi-moon of Earth because of its orbit. Earlier this year, scientists said they know which crater on the Moon Kamo’oalewa was likely created from on the far side of the lunar surface.
When 2024 PT5 returns in January, astronomers will again be able to observe the asteroid and learn more about it with ground-based telescopes and radar.
It's likely that many more asteroids created from impacts on the Moon have yet to be discovered. There are about 40,000 known near-Earth objects, with more than 2,000 found this year alone, including 2024 PT5.