Astronomical phenomena have been all the rage recently. In the summer, we had the Perseids, a Blue Supermoon and, more recently, the Harvest Full Supermoon and even a partial lunar eclipse. However, that’s not all, as the Earth is going to have a second ‘mini-moon’.
This astronomical event should ‘arrive’ in the next few days. Although fascinating, it is a temporary phenomenon and is expected to last only two months.
According to SIC Notícias, planet Earth will ‘win’ this ‘mini-moon’ when a small asteroid, called 2024 PT5, enters its orbit. However, as it is small and dark, it should not be visible through amateur telescopes and binoculars.
Small in size
Jornal de Notícias reports that the asteroid was discovered by a program funded by NASA, more specifically the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas).
According to the same source, the mini moon measures around ten meters in length and is quite small compared to the Moon, with a diameter of around 3474 km.
According to the study “A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT Captured by Earth from September to November”, this is the specific time that the astronomical phenomenon should last: between September 29 and November 25.
What does it take to become a ‘mini-moon’?
According to the renowned and specialized website “Space”, to become a ‘mini-moon’ the body must have the following characteristics:
- A distance of 4.5 million km from Earth
- Low-speed circulation
In particular, this event is short-lived, which is relatively common. Similar long-duration phenomena may only occur every ten and/or 20 years.