The Earth is again left with only one moon – the small satellite has flown away, but will return soon

On Monday – November 25 – asteroid 2024 PT5 moved away from the Earth and ceased to be considered a conditional second Moon. The object, measuring about 11 m in diameter, was attracted by the planet’s gravity on September 29, 2024 and spent less than two months side by side with it. During this time, astronomers became more familiar with 2024 PT5 and came to the conclusion that it could be a fragment of the Moon. It turns out that 2024 PT5 returned to his parents.

Image source: AI generation Kandinsky 3.1/3DNews

Object 2024 PT5 is part of the Arjuna group of asteroids. They move around the Sun in an orbit close to the Earth’s and are generally considered near-Earth objects. Observations of 2024 PT5 revealed a fairly rapid rotation period of less than an hour, which occurs when an asteroid is born as a result of an impact. This discovery gave rise to the assumption that the Arjuna asteroids arose as a result of the bombardment of the Moon by large celestial bodies. There are many large craters on the surface of the satellite, so this possibility should not be surprising.

According to scientists, in order for 2024 PT5 to be considered a “small moon”, it would have to approach Earth at a distance of 4.5 million km, while having a constant speed of about 3540 km/h. At the end of September 2024, asteroid 2024 PT5 fully met these conditions. It became our planet’s temporary small moon, stranded near the planet for 56.6 days. NASA, interestingly, is not inclined to consider 2024 PT5 even a temporary satellite of the Earth. He was never captured by the earth’s gravity and both arrived and flew on.

However, NASA will continue to monitor this object with planetary defense forces and means. Asteroid 2024 PT5 will approach Earth again on January 9, 2025. The agency promises to keep the object “on target” with the 70-meter antenna of the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California. After this, the “mini-moon” will leave the near-Earth space for 30 years.