Baby Moon
2024 PT5: Welcoming the Asteroid
Bianca Llerena
The moon gained a friend within its orbit on Sunday, Sept. 29. And for the next two months, this baby moon will follow her until it escapes our planet’s gravitational grasp.
It’s easy to forget, but there are people always watching our solar system: the planets, the stars… and the asteroids. So, on August 7th, researchers discovered a 33-foot-long asteroid known as 2024 PT5 with a telescope in South Africa. Space nerds. And thankfully too, because the last “mini-moon” we saw was in 2022. Too long ago. And researchers say that 2024 PT5 has already been near Earth since July. So while you more than likely will not get a chance to see the tiny rock because of its relatively small size, it’s just as fascinating to learn about.
So, it's not actually a mini-moon, and you’ll need a professional telescope strong enough to see that far. A co-discoverer of 2024 PT5 and a mini-moon-studying astronomer at Spain’s Complutense University of Madrid said you’d need a telescope of at least 30 inches in diameter paired with a digital detector.
Also, the asteroid isn't technically a baby moon at all according to a University of Iowa associate professor in the Physics and Astronomy department. Because 2024 PT5 will not make a full orbit around Earth, it will only be in Earth's gravitational orbit from late September to late November. So, actually this “baby moon” is more accurately a Near Earth Object (NEO). But doesn't “baby moon” sound much sweeter?
It’s so strange how, within space, there is a whole other world. Yet, we have made sure to make our impact within that world as well; some past mini-moons have been discovered to be space junk. Like the 2020 mini-moon which was eventually identified as a rocket booster from the 1966 Surveyor 2 Centaur launch. Luckily, there are reports that this upcoming mini-moon is likely to be a real asteroid.
*FYI: the difference between meteors/meteorites and asteroids is that an asteroid refers to a rocky body found in the asteroid belt; meteors enter our atmosphere and are rocks that have fallen on the earth from space.
Every night, the moon is a conduit of light. She’ll also be a sphere of matter that guides 2024 PT5 for the next month. But the moon does much more. The moon controls the tides, yet it doesn’t affect the water. That is to say, the tidal force pulls on matter, and the oceans deform to create tides simply because they are liquid and therefore able to deform more than the solid parts of the planet. Which means, not only do ocean tides exist, earth tides exist too. The solid parts of planets and moons deform due to tidal forces too, yet it’s a lot harder to see than the oceans. For example, the force creates heating inside of small moons of large planets like Jupiter.
The entire solar system gets to enjoy the moon’s pull, and spiritually, the moon does things for us too. Many religions around the world celebrate the moon and guide themselves based on her cycle. For example, the Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars. In Hinduism, The moon god Chandra is the father of Buddha and is believed to cause plants and crops to grow. In Egypt, the ancient Egyptians had several moon gods, including Khonsu and Thoth. Set represented the moon in their calendar. In early Aztec religion, Metztli, Coyolxauhqui, and Tēcciztēcatl are all lunar deities in the Aztec religion. In Islam, the moon represents God's guidance on the path through life. The new moon also represents the Muslim calendar, which has 12 months of 29 or 30 days each.
How lucky, that we now exist in a moment unlike any other, where a baby moon circles the earth for just a few weeks. Yet, because she will only be circling about 25% of the earth, we don’t have much time with her. So now is the time to take whatever mysterious energy she brings to us and use it positively. As this little asteroid joins the moon, we join them in their journey from afar.