What is a ‘mini-moon’?

About Mini-moon:

• Mini-moons are asteroids that fail to escape Earth’s gravity and end up orbiting the planet for some time.
• They are usually very small and hard to detect — only four mini-moons of Earth have ever been discovered, and none are still orbiting Earth.
• These events are relatively frequent, with similar occurrences happening every few decades.
• How does Earth capture Mini Moons?
  • Mini moons are captured from the Near-Earth Object (NEO) population, which consists of asteroids and other celestial bodies that pass close to Earth.
  • NASA classifies any space object that comes within 120 million miles (190 million kilometers) of our planet as a near-Earth object, while objects within 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) are considered potentially hazardous.

Key facts about 2024 PT5

• It is an Apollo-class NEO, which follows an orbit similar to that of previous mini moons like 2022 NX1.
• The asteroid was discovered with the help of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).
• It is estimated to be just 33 feet long and is too small to be visible to the naked eye or through typical amateur telescopes.
• It is within the brightness range of telescopes used by professional astronomers.
• Significance: The observations of 2024 PT5 will help scientists expand the knowledge of asteroids that pass close to the Earth and those that sometimes collide with it.