Hey Earthlings! 🌍 Get ready for a celestial surprise! Our planet is about to gain a temporary new friend—a \\"mini moon\\"! 🌑🌟
Starting this Sunday, Earth's gravity will capture a small asteroid named 2024 PT5, about the size of a school bus (33 feet or 10 meters). 🚌🚀 This space rock will orbit around us for approximately two months! 🗓️
This cosmic companion was first spotted in August by astronomers Carlos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos from Complutense University of Madrid. Using a powerful telescope in South Africa, they glimpsed this tiny traveler. 🔭✨
\\"These short-lived mini moons are more common than we realize,\\" said Richard Binzel, an astronomer at MIT. \\"We rarely see them because they're very small and hard to detect. Only recently has our survey capability reached the point of spotting them routinely.\\" 🌠🔍
Unfortunately, you won't be able to see 2024 PT5 with the naked eye or your backyard telescope. But rest assured, it's up there, joining our moon for a brief cosmic dance! 💃🌌
Is it an asteroid or a chunk of the moon that got blasted out? Scientists aren't entirely sure! 🤔 But what's certain is that this mini moon will circle Earth for about 57 days before heading back into space on November 25th. 🚀👋
Mark your calendars for 2055 when 2024 PT5 is expected to swing by our planet again! 📅🔭 Who knows what adventures it will have had by then?
The universe is full of surprises, and sometimes, they come in the form of a school-bus-sized rock joining us for a couple of months. Stay curious, amigos! 🌟👀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
