Earth’s small moon could be part of a large moon, scientists say

A a small month that will say goodbye to Earth soon it may be a big little hunk month – the one that has been seen in the sky longer than people have roamed the earth.

A follow-up study looked closely at bus size space rock to better understand what it is made of, how fast it rotates, and where it moves. The research team says the small moon is an S-type object an asteroidmade of silicates and iron, and the same V type Vestathe second largest factor in the main asteroid belt.

Although the results were inconclusive, they suggested that the small moon, officially named 2024 PT5, has a lunar origin, similar to the powder collected by the Soviet Union’s robotic Luna 24 mission in 1976, followed by samples from it. NASA‘s Apollo 12 mission in 1969. Both of those examples appeared marialunar regions that look like dark shadows of ancient solid lava flows.

The paper, its authors include two astronomers discovered a small moon in August, suggesting that 2024 PT5 may come from craters formed within the last 1 million years or so. The manuscript says subject to peer review to be published in Books on Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Asteroid 2024 PT5, which makes a complete spin every hour, has been flying past Earth since Sept. 29 and will depart on Nov. 25, according to the manuscript. Since its arrival, the guest has caused a nerd maelstrom, many people argue that to call such a young rock, Johnny-come-lately rock a month is the wrong name. Even celebrity space commentator Neil deGrasse Tyson weighed in on the debate, calling the small moon label “click bait.”

Despite that controversy, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, one of the discoverers based at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, is comfortable with the term, citing literature supporting its use in his papers.

“What we have here is a classic example of using different scientific methods,” he told Mashable. “Earth’s temporarily captured satellite, call it a mini moon if you like.”

What is clear is that asteroids are affected by Earth’s gravity in this way very often, and most fly by without completing a full trip. Most of them are suspected to be from the called ones The arjuna asteroid belta group of near-Earth-centered rocks discovered in the early 1990s.

These asteroids complete one orbit around the earth the sun every year, and the Earth and the moon actually move between that belt, de la Fuente Marcos said. In fact, shooting stones from the group may be so possible that this particular item may be a little more than a month in the future.

But compared to recent small months, 2024 PT5 is a short term. In July 2006, a visitor was named RH120 it spent a year orbiting Earth before it was ejected in July 2007. Astronomers believe that the one that left in May 2020 may have been sweeping the planet for several years.

An Apollo 12 astronaut carries a container of lunar soil to the moon on Nov. 24, 1969.
Credit: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Despite their frequency, small moon episodes should not be dismissed as normal, says Antonio Maudes, CEO of Illuminated Bridgesowning several robotic telescopes in Spain’s Canary Islands. His company’s two-meter Twin Telescope provided the research team with optical data.

“You’re probably not going to get any more interesting things than orbiting the sun because they’re so close to Earth, and they’re going to come back,” he told Mashable. “That’s good.”

The company is developing a project in Spain dedicated to monitoring the cislunar space, the region around the Earth and i month. Its purpose is to increase astronomers’ mathematical understanding of the moon’s origin, orbital paths, materials, and rotational speed. Such information is not only useful to look at stones can be dangerous that would crash into the Earth. Maudes thinks it could be useful for commercial exploitation, too.

“Call it a small month if you like.”

Venture capitalists have long been buzzing about leverage space mining industry essential minerals. The Arjuna asteroids are much closer together than those in the main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, perhaps making them real places. Adolfo Nemirovsky, a physicist and consultant for Light Bridges, likens these nearby asteroids to Home Depots – places that are good for picking up materials to build lunar bases and supply space equipment.

The two-meter Twin Telescope in the Canary Islands provided optical data of the young moon to researchers.
Credit: Light Bridges

Although 2024 PT5 is on its way out now, many astrologers are grateful that it opened the public’s eyes to the fact that many things are moving around the world all the time.

“You feel like it’s the empty space between here and the moon, and there’s nothing there – not at all,” Maudes said. “There are many different forces at play here.”

NASA plans to keep 2024 PT5 by the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California in January 2025. By then, the object will be much farther away — about five times i a month, almost 239,000 miles away – before continuing on its path around the sun.