Dr AK Anil Kumar, head of ISRO’s Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA), has confirmed that Earth’s temporary mini-moon, which will orbit our planet for 53 days, will not be visible to the naked eye. This mini-moon, called 2024 PT5, is only 10 metres in diameter. It is 350,000 times smaller than the normal moon, which has a diameter of 3,476 kilometres, and hence, will not be visible to the naked eye.
NETRA has been closely tracking the activity of 2024 PT5 and has confirmed that the asteroid will not hit Earth. The mini-moon will begin orbiting Earth on September 29 for about two months and then break away from Earth’s elliptical force on November 25 and head back into the vastness of the solar system.
The asteroid, discovered on August 7 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an automated system funded by NASA, also has a connection to the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In a report published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (RNAAS), astronomers say that the orbital properties of 2024 PT5 resemble those of asteroids coming from the Arjuna asteroid belt, “a sparsely resonant population of small NEOs.” Dr Anil Kumar of NETRA also confirms that 2024 PT5 is part of the Arjuna asteroid group.
‘Arjuna’ is a unique group of asteroids in the solar system. This asteroid group was named in 1991, when astronomer Robert H. McNaught discovered the asteroid ‘1991 VG’ at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia on November 1 of that year. He chose the name ‘Arjuna’ inspired by the character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is known for his bravery, unparalleled archery skills and intelligence. The name reflects the asteroid’s rapid passage through the solar system, like Arjuna’s sharp arrows, and its unpredictable nature.
“Near-Earth objects (NEOs) that follow horseshoe-shaped paths, and approach our planet from close and with low relative velocities, can undergo mini-moon events, in which their geocentric energy goes negative for hours, days, or months, but without completing a single orbit around Earth,” said astronomers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, authors of the RNAS report.
He also said that this is not the first time that a small moon will be seen around the Earth. Earlier, similar incidents have happened in 1997, 2013 and 2018.
