Earth has lost its minimoon, but it posed for a photo before leaving (and promised to return soon)

The asteroid 2024 PT5, better known as Earth’s new minimoon, has already escaped the gravitational influence of our planet. But astronomers have been watching it, and they are convinced that it will return much sooner than previously believed.

Capture of two months. The asteroid was captured by Earth’s gravity on September 29, 2024, becoming a minimoon of the Earth until its departure on November 25.

With a diameter of 11 meters, it is larger than the previous minimoons 2020 CD3 and 2006 RH120. Still, too small for us to observe with the naked eye.

Farewell photo. Due to its tiny size and low brightness, magnitude 27, asteroid 2024 PT5 could not be observed with small telescopes either, but it could via the Twin Two Meter Telescope from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

This image was taken from Spain on November 25, the same day that the minimoon stopped keeping us company. Thanks to these observations, we now know that it will return next year.

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory According to NASA, the asteroid will return on January 9, 2025, but it will do so at 3,700 km/h, a speed too high to be captured again by our planet.

Two more approaches are planned for November 2055 and May 2084. The latter offers the best prospects for the asteroid once again becoming a mini-moon of Earth. If we are still here in 60 years, pay attention to Xataka to find out.

Where has he gone? Home. 2024 PT5 belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt, a group of objects that orbit the Sun in trajectories similar to that of the Earth, at an average distance of 150 million kilometers.

The presence of 2024 PT5 as a minimoon is just an anecdote: there are probably many other similar objects that we have not detected. But for that reason it is a unique opportunity to study small objects close to Earth and better understand their orbital dynamics and gravitational interactions with our planet.

Images | Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands

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