The event took place this Sunday, September 29. The Earth has captured a minilunelune. And this deserves some clarification.
Let’s first remember that a mini-moon is different from a quasi-moon. THE astronomersastronomers also speak in this case of quasi-satellite. To designate asteroids, in reality, but which seem to revolve around our Planet for a time because they almost follow its trajectory around the SoleilSoleil. So theasteroidasteroid baptized 2023 FW13, it has accompanied our Planet for more than 2,000 years. And he will only leave us in a few hundred years.
Discovery of a new companion of the Earth
Those known as mini-moons actually find themselves stuck in orbitorbit around the Earth. Even if it is often for a short time. Usually less than a year. This is the example of 2020 CD3, which occupied a place as Earth’s mini-moon between January 2019 and May 2020. And these mini-moons are not easy to detect. Astronomers know little about it. All have already freed themselves from the gravitational influence of the Earth.
Two months with a mini-moon around the Earth
So it is indeed a mini-moon – even if some are reluctant to grant it this status given the very short durationduration of its presence in orbit around our Planet – which astronomers from the University of Madrid (Spain) present to us in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. The asteroid 2024 PT5 indeed came close enough to our Earth two days ago – but not too close, which would risk putting us in danger – to find itself linked to it by the gravitygravity. It will then complete a complete tour of the Earth in 53 days. In mid-November, it will release again to continue its trajectory into space. In the meantime, there is no point in hoping to observe it with the naked eye. He’s too dull for that. And it is 300,000 times smaller than our Moon. So even most amateur instruments will not be enough to spot it.
Do you know where the belief that we never went to the Moon comes from? Discover the story of one of the biggest conspiracy theories of the last century, in Science or Fiction. © Futura
The 10 meter diameter asteroid was recently discovered as part of the Atlas program (Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System)) which monitors the sky for potentially dangerous objects. Astronomers believe that it could come from the asteroid beltasteroid belt of Arjuna, an asteroid belt that aligns with Earth’s orbit. Others suggest that it was once a piece of our Moon… Either way, it should come closer to our Planet again in January 2025 and then in 2055.
