 "The small asteroid, which zipped past our planet on Sunday, September 29, is set to orbit Earth for nearly two months, offering brief but intriguing company to our permanent satellite, the Moon. Image for Representation. Pixabay")
The Earth has welcomed a new, temporary companion — a rare ‘mini-moon’ with an unexpected connection to India.
This small asteroid, which zipped past our planet on Sunday, September 29, is set to orbit Earth, offering brief but intriguing company to our permanent satellite, the Moon.
After approximately two months, the mini-moon will break free from Earth’s gravitational pull and continue its journey through space, a report published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society revealed.
The mini-moon’s temporary capture has piqued the curiosity of the scientific community, who will closely monitor its rare orbit.
But what exactly is this mini-moon, and how does it connect to India? Let’s take a closer look at this celestial event and uncover its fascinating ties to India.
What do we know about the mini-moon?
The term ‘mini-moon’ refers to asteroid 2024 PT5, which was first detected by Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an automated sytem funded by NASA to monitor potential asteroid impacts.
In general, asteroids that fail to escape Earth’s gravity, momentarily alter their trajectory and end up orbiting the planet for a time. These asteroids are referred to as mini-moons.
These small, fast-moving asteroids are difficult to detect and identify.
Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, an astronomer at the Complutense University of Madrid and co-author of the study told The New York Times (NYT), “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 added.
During its 53-day orbit around Earth, the aestroid will not complete a full revolution but instead perform a horseshoe loop before drifting away from Earth’s gravitational influence.
As per Paul Chodas, director of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2024 PT5 might be a fragment from the Moon, possibly ejected by a past lunar impact.
Despite this possible lunar origin, it may not technically qualify as a mini-moon and be a “temporarily captured flyby” instead.
“It certainly won’t complete one full revolution in the Earth-Moon system this fall, so I’m not sure I would classify it as a ‘mini-moon,’” Lance Benner, principal investigator of the asteroid radar research program at JPL told NYT.
What is the India connection?
The 2024 PT5 asteroid, though small with a diameter of about 10 metres (33 feet), has a unique connection to India through its orbital characteristics.
According to researchers, this asteroid’s orbital properties are similar to those of asteroids from “a sparsely resonant population of small NEOs” called the Arjuna asteroid belt.
This group of asteroids is named after the heroic figure Arjuna from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, confirms Dr Anil Kumar, head of Isro’s Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) in The Times of India report.
The Arjuna asteroids hold a special place in the solar system. The name dates back to 1991 when astronomer Robert H. McNaught discovered the asteroid ‘1991 VG’ at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.
He chose the name ‘Arjuna’, inspired by the legendary warrior from Mahabharata who is celebrated for his bravery, exceptional archery skills, and wisdom. Like the swift arrows of Arjuna, the name reflects both the asteroid’s swift movement through the solar system and its unpredictable nature.
The name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
While the phenomenon of mini-moons isn’t new—similar events occurred in 1997, 2013, and 2018—this latest occurrence presents both a scientific opportunity and a chance to explore the connection between astronomy and cultural history.
Can we see the mini-moon?
Compared to Earth’s moon, which spans 3,476 kilometres in diameter, the 2024 PT5 asteroid is around 350,000 times smaller. Due to its tiny size, it’s far too faint to be seen with the naked eye or most amateur telescopes.
However, it can be observed using larger and more advanced telescopes.
On November 25, asteroid 2024 PT5 will part ways with Earth and resume its solo journey through space. It’s expected to pass by Earth again in 2055.
With input from agencies