The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that Earth’s temporary mini-moon, named 2024 PT5, will be too small to be seen without the aid of specialized equipment.
According to Dr. AK Anil Kumar, head of ISRO’s Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA), the asteroid, only 10 meters in diameter, is about 350,000 times smaller than Earth's regular moon, which has a diameter of 3,476 kilometers, making it undetectable by the naked eye.
NETRA is closely monitoring the mini-moon's movement, ensuring it poses no threat of collision with Earth.
2024 PT5 will begin orbiting Earth on September 29, staying within its gravitational pull for 53 days before drifting back into the solar system on November 25. Discovered by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7, the asteroid is part of a unique group known as Arjuna asteroids, named after the famed warrior from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
The mini-moon's orbit bears similarities to asteroids originating from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a loosely resonant group of near-Earth objects (NEOs). The Arjuna group was named by astronomer Robert H. McNaught, inspired by the character Arjuna, known for his swift and precise archery, reflecting the unpredictable paths of these asteroids as they travel through the solar system.
Astronomers Carlos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos, authors of a report in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (RNAAS), explain that these NEOs, following horseshoe-like orbital paths, can occasionally become temporary mini-moons, captured briefly by Earth's gravity before resuming their journey.
Similar mini-moon events have been observed in the past, notably in 1997, 2013, and 2018.