Latest news with #2024PT5
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Scientists discover new minimoons orbiting Earth – what could this mean for our planet's future
For years, the space near Earth was assumed to be fairly well known, particularly in terms of detecting near-Earth objects (NEOs) like asteroids and debris. That perception is being turned on its head by new discoveries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to a recent paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, there could be an undiscovered population of " minimoons "—small natural satellites—around Earth. And what is interesting about these objects is that some of them seem to be debris from the Moon itself. The research highlights the recently identified object 2024 PT5 , an asteroid-like body that shows lunar-like features such as orbital properties and compositional similarities with Moon rock. This finding by planetary scientist Teddy Kareta and his Lowell Observatory team opens up the thrilling possibility that numerous other such pieces are orbiting Earth in silence, leftovers from old lunar impacts. What are minimoons and their role in space science Minimoons are minor bodies temporarily held in Earth's gravity. In contrast to the Moon, which is a natural permanent satellite, minimoons have transient orbits—occasionally staying within the gravitational clutches of Earth for weeks, months, or years before finally breaking free again into solar orbit. Until recently, these objects were thought to be very rare. The first clearly established minimoon of possible lunar origin, Kamo'oalewa, was found in 2021. With the discovery of 2024 PT5, the story is emerging. Researchers are starting to see these objects not as oddities, but as possible members of a larger population that hasn't been seen because they are too small and have too complicated, changing orbits. New evidence suggests 2024 PT5 could be a piece of the moon The identification of 2024 PT5 is especially noteworthy due to its possible lunar origin. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Its path and spectral character—a method of determining an object's composition from the manner in which it scatters light—effectively mimic those of rocks brought back to Earth by NASA's Apollo missions. This heavily indicates that PT5 could be a piece that was ejected from the surface of the Moon, perhaps by a meteoric impact. Teddy Kareta emphasised the importance of the discovery at the 56th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, saying: 'If there were only one object, that would be interesting but an outlier. If there's two, we're pretty confident that's a population.' In other words, the confirmation of a second minimoon with lunar properties supports the idea that such objects are more common than previously believed. Understanding lunar debris: How high-energy impacts send moon fragments into Earth's orbit Lunar debris is usually created through high-energy impact events, in which meteoroids collide with the lunar surface and send debris into space. A portion of this debris may fall into the Earth's sphere of gravitational influence, becoming temporarily captured. They have chaotic, highly elliptical orbits that set them apart from both standard NEOs and Earth's main Moon. Simulations and tracking models imply that these fragments can be trapped for a few months to a few years, after which they will burn up in Earth's atmosphere, escape Earth's gravity, or be deflected by subsequent gravitational encounters. What minimoons can reveal The implications of minimoons from a scientific perspective are significant. Minimoons provide a one-of-a-kind chance to investigate the Moon's impact record without sending complex sample-return missions to the surface of the Moon. By analysing the composition of the minimoons, scientists can determine the nature of the rock, the age of the rock, and possibly trace it to a particular crater or region of geology on the Moon. This could greatly improve the knowledge of: Geological evolution of the Moon Rate and magnitude of lunar impact events Orbital dynamics of Earth-Moon interactions Kareta compared it to forensic science by saying: "It's like discovering a crime scene has a completely new type of evidence you didn't realise you had before." These pieces are actually natural sample-return missions already underway. From sample return to space mining: The strategic value of minimoons Aside from academic curiosity, minimoons also have significant potential for future missions of exploration. Because they are close and relatively slow-moving relative to other NEOs, they are prime targets for: Robotic spacecraft missions Sample return programs Experimentation with navigation and landing technologies for asteroid mining or deep space missions They provide a valuable stepping stone to deep-space exploration while also facilitating new types of resource analysis and planetary defense testing. 2024 PT5 highlights the need for advanced detection methods The detection of 2024 PT5 emphasises the necessity of more sensitive sky surveys and special observation programs. The majority of existing asteroid detection systems are optimized for discovering larger, brighter objects. Minimoons, being small and faint, need different methods and continuous monitoring in order to be discovered. The development of this capability would greatly improve our knowledge of not just minimoons, but also the dynamic interaction between Earth and its cosmic environment. Also Read |
NDTV
04-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
'Minimoons': Rocks Circling Near Earth Could Be A Chunk Of The Moon
A whole population of 'minimoons' - tiny natural satellites - may be quietly circling near Earth, scientists now believe, after discovering a second Moon-origin rock drifting close to our planet. The newly observed object, named 2024 PT5, was spotted near Earth last August and is thought to be a lunar fragment, possibly blasted off the Moon during a massive impact long ago. This makes it only the second known piece of the Moon found orbiting in near-Earth space. "If there were only one object, that would be interesting but an outlier," said Teddy Kareta, a planetary scientist at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. "If there's two, we're pretty confident that's a population." The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in January and presented in March at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference in Texas. 2024 PT5 stood out when it was first observed by astronomers in South Africa, thanks to its unusually slow movement, just 2 metres per second relative to Earth. That made it a promising candidate for the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS), which focuses on finding asteroids that are easiest to reach with spacecraft. The rock, just 26 to 39 feet (8 to 12 metres) wide, didn't look like a typical asteroid. Mr Kareta and his team believe it may have been ejected from the Moon's surface during a violent impact. The discovery suggests that other such fragments might be hiding in near-Earth space. Earth regularly travels through a cloud of debris, both natural and man-made, as it orbits the Sun. Some of it is leftover rock from the early solar system, and scientists keep a close eye on these near-Earth objects (NEOs) in case any pose a threat. Material that gets blasted off the Moon during an impact usually stays close to Earth's orbit, especially the slower pieces. 2024 PT5 was briefly called a minimoon in September because it moved alongside Earth for a short time. But it didn't stay for long and eventually drifted away. Scientists think it will come close to Earth again in 2055. Within a week of the discovery, Mr Kareta and MANOS principal investigator Nick Moskovitz turned the Lowell Discovery Telescope toward 2024 PT5. After analysing the rock in visible and near-infrared light, they found its composition closely resembled moon rocks brought back by the Apollo missions and the Soviet Luna 24 mission. "It's like realising a crime scene has a totally new kind of evidence you didn't know you had before," Mr Kareta told "It might not help you solve the crime right away, but considering the importance of the task, new details to compare are always welcome." This is only the second known lunar fragment spotted in near-Earth space. The first, called Kamo'oalewa, was discovered in 2016 and linked to the Moon in 2021.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A whole 'population' of minimoons may be lurking near Earth, researchers say
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Earth's minimoon may be a chip off the old block: New research suggests that 2024 PT5 — a small, rocky body dubbed a "minimoon" during its discovery last year — may have been blown off the moon during a giant impact long ago, making it the second known sample traveling near Earth's orbit. The discovery hints at a hidden population of lunar fragments traveling near Earth. "If there were only one object, that would be interesting but an outlier," Teddy Kareta, a planetary scientist at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, said in March at the 56th annual Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference in the Woodlands, Texas. "If there's two, we're pretty confident that's a population." Earth travels through and with a cloud of debris as the planet makes tracks around the sun. Some of that material is human-made — satellites and space junk. Other material is rocky debris left over from collisions in the early solar system. These near-Earth objects (NEOs) can be a concern, so they are tracked to ensure they are not a threat to our planet. Related: Just how many threatening asteroids are there? It's complicated. In August 2024, astronomers in South Africa identified a new rock, known as 2024 PT5, traveling near Earth. 2024 PT5 was moving slowly, with a relative velocity of only 4.5 mph (2 meters per second), making it a strong target for the Mission Accessible Near-Earth Object Survey (MANOS). Only nine other asteroids have been seen traveling so slowly at their closest approach. Kareta, along with MANOS principal investigator Nick Moskovitz, also at Lowell, have been intrigued by the idea of finding moon rocks in space since just after the first such fragment was identified in 2021. MANOS is designed to hunt for and characterize the near-Earth asteroids that might be the easiest to visit with a spacecraft. According to Kareta, that meant the survey was ideal for looking at lunar castoffs. Within a week of 2024 PT5's discovery, they had turned the Lowell Discovery Telescope in the space rock's direction. After studying 2024 PT5 in both visible and near-infrared data, they concluded that it wasn't an ordinary asteroid. Its composition proved similar to that of rocks carried back to Earth during the Apollo program, as well as one returned by the Soviet Union's Luna 24. The researchers also found that 2024 PT5 was small — 26 to 39 feet (8 to 12 meters) in diameter. Kareta and his colleagues suspect that 2024 PT5 was excavated when something crashed into the moon. By studying the asteroid's composition, they hope to tie the material back to its source and perhaps even identify its parent crater. Cratering events are one of the most important processes that shape planetary bodies without tectonics or liquids to remold them. But impacts can be affected by a variety of variables, and understanding them can be a challenge. Matching debris to its crater can provide another way to understand what happens when two bodies collide. That's what makes identifying lunar rocks in space so intriguing. "It's like realizing a crime scene has a totally new kind of evidence you didn't know you had before," Kareta told by email. "It might not help you solve the crime right away, but considering the importance of the task, new details to compare are always welcome." Material from the Earth-moon system should be some of the easiest to fall into orbit near Earth. After an impactor collides with the moon, all but the fastest-moving material flung into space should continue traveling near our system. Although 2024 PT5 was dubbed a minimoon in September, it only briefly fell in line with the planet. Kareta compared it to two cars on the highway. Earth is blazing along in its own lane, while 2024 PT5 chugged along the interior path, closer to the sun. In 2024, the tiny chunk of rock changed lanes, falling into Earth's path at roughly the same speed. By the end of September, it had moved on, shifting outward. Earth left it behind, but on the solar race track, the pair should be parallel again in 2055, scientists estimate. 2024 PT5 is the second lunar fragment identified by researchers. Another small rock, Kamo'oalewa, was traced to the moon in 2021, five years after its discovery. That could hint at a new population, hidden in plain sight. Both objects are traveling in Earth-like orbits, but they don't have much else in common. Kamo'oalewa is larger and appears to have been battered by cosmic rays, solar radiation and other processes longer than 2024 PT5 has. That might suggest it has been in space longer, Kareta said. Their orbits are also a bit different. Kamo'oalewa's quasi-satellite orbit keeps it in Earth's immediate vicinity for several consecutive orbits, even though it isn't actually spinning around the planet. Unlike the lane-changing 2024 PT5, Kamo'oalewa is more like a car that stays one lane over, moving at roughly the same speed. Researchers are trying to match Kamo'oalewa to a crater. A recent study suggested that it could have come from a smashup that created Giordano Bruno crater, a 14-mile-wide (22 km) impact basin on the far side of the moon. Kareta is hopeful that more will be identified. While a single sample is an oddity, two could be part of a crowd. He suspects that some asteroids that have been identified as unusual may be lunar rocks in disguise. RELATED STORIES: —Goodnight moon! Astronomers snap photo of Earth's departing mini-moon —Earth's mini-moon has finally departed. Will it ever return as a 'second moon?' —Earth's recent asteroid visitor might've been a piece of the moon When the orbits of NEOs are calculated, their source region is often estimated based on their current travels. If some objects have been misclassified and their sources are incorrect, that could mean other aspects of their orbits are misunderstood. Although that could potentially increase the long-term chances of Earth being hit by an asteroid, Kareta said it is "almost certainly not" the case, "but we'll need to prove it." For now, Kareta and his colleagues will continue to use MANOS to search for other potential lunar fragments. He's hopeful that the doubled population will convince other researchers to take a closer look, too. Upcoming large-scale surveys — like the Vera Rubin Observatory, a ground-based telescope expected to see first light this year — should also help to reveal other dim objects. The research was published in January in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Remember the 'mini-moon' last year? Study finds it was likely just a chunk of the actual moon
Remember the 'mini-moon' last year? Study finds it was likely just a chunk of the actual moon The small rock captured the world's attention when it came close enough to Earth between September and November to be classified as a near-Earth object. Show Caption Hide Caption Earth's mini moon: Asteroid 2024 PT5 in orbit An asteroid, named 2024 PT5, will do a 56-day horseshoe shaped fly-by near Earth before it continues on its journey. A chunk of space rock that visited near Earth's orbit last year was widely referred to as a "mini-moon." Turns out, the lunar-inspired moniker may have been more accurate than we realized. The "mini-moon" designation, which is used to refer to objects that temporarily float near Earth at a certain distance or speed, has nothing to do with celestial origin or composition. But as serendipity would have it, the cosmic rock in question may have literally been a hunk of the moon, according to a new study. The small rock captured the world's attention when it came close enough to Earth between September and November to be classified as a near-Earth object. While the asteroid never posed a threat to our planet, it did intrigue astronomers, who rushed to study it before it bid farewell and continued on its way. Because its orbit around the sun closely matches Earth's, astronomers determined that the so-called "mini-moon" likely originated from nearby in our solar system. Now, new research published this month in the Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests the object many called a "mini-moon" is composed of lunar rock ejected into space after an impact thousands of years ago on the moon's surface. Lunar Noah's Ark? The proposal to preserve species facing extinction on the moon What was the 'mini-moon?' The asteroid, known as 2024 PT5, was first spotted Aug. 7 by astronomers using the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. Measuring about 33 feet, the object never actually entered Earth's orbit and didn't meet the qualifications to officially qualify it as a "mini-moon." Still, the nickname stuck. From Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, the object orbited on a horseshoe trajectory bringing it close to Earth before it receded away. 2024 PT5 may have been flung from moon's surface: Study During the object's visit, Teddy Kareta, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, was among those who sought to catch a glimpse of it while they could. On Aug. 16, Kareta and his colleagues spotted the object with the Lowell Discovery Telescope and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. By observing the way the object moved through space, the team quickly ruled out it being human-made space debris from things like aging satellites and old rocket launches. The researchers studied how the sunlight patterns reflected off the small rock to discover that it didn't match that of any known asteroid type. Instead, the reflected light more closely matched rocks from the moon. The discovery led them to conclude that 2024 PT5 was likely flung from the moon's surface after one of the many collisions that has left the moon's surface with its iconic craters. 'We had a general idea that this asteroid may have come from the moon, but the smoking gun was when we found out that it was rich in silicate minerals – not the kind that are seen on asteroids but those that have been found in lunar rock samples,' Kareta said in a statement in a NASA press release announcing the findings. 'It looks like it hasn't been in space for very long, maybe just a few thousand years or so, as there's a lack of space weathering that would have caused its spectrum to redden.' Space rock not first from lunar surface The discovery of 2024 PT5 makes it the second space rock whizzing through the cosmos with a likely lunar origin. Asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa was found in 2016 orbiting the sun, suggesting that it may also have been ejected from the lunar surface after a large impact. What's more, astronomers believe that still more lunar space rocks are waiting to be discovered as telescopes become more capable of detecting smaller asteroids. If a lunar asteroid could be linked to a specific impact crater on the moon, studying it could unveil secrets about the pockmarked lunar surface. 'This is a story about the moon as told by asteroid scientists,' Kareta said in a statement. 'It's a rare situation where we've gone out to study an asteroid but then strayed into new territory in terms of the questions we can ask of 2024 PT5.' Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@
CNN
27-01-2025
- Science
- CNN
Earth's recent ‘mini-moon' may be an actual piece of the moon, astronomers say
A small space rock that lingered near Earth last year and was referred to as its temporary 'mini-moon' may actually be a chunk of the moon that chipped off thousands of years ago. The celestial near-Earth object, known as 2024 PT5, measures about 33 feet (10 meters) wide; however, it's not in any danger of colliding with Earth now or over the next few decades due to its trajectory, according to researchers. After its close approach to the Earth, 2024 PT5 is slowly receding away in its new, more distant orbit. But surprisingly, the object's orbit around the sun is similar to Earth's, suggesting that 2024 PT5 originated from our corner of the solar system. Astronomers first spotted the asteroid on August 7 using the South Africa-based observatory of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. Despite predictions that the asteroid might become a temporary mini-moon whirling around Earth, the space rock maintained a horseshoe orbit that brought it close, but it never actually entered into an orbit around our planet. However, this almost-mini-moon is still special as it is potentially a piece of the real moon, said Dr. Teddy Kareta, a postdoctoral associate at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Kareta is the lead author of a study about the object that was published January 14 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. 'It was never really in orbit, but the vocabulary here to describe what it did do — approach the Earth from the inside, have its orbit slightly altered by a very close approach with the Earth-Moon system, and then recede away from us on the 'outside' in an overall horseshoe trajectory — hardly caters to fun nicknames,' Kareta said in an email. 'It was nearly orbiting us for about two months. This kind of orbit is fundamentally rare, so it shouldn't be too surprising that we don't have a generic term for it yet.' Kareta and his colleagues observed the object with the Lowell Discovery Telescope and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. As sunlight reflected off 2024 PT5's surface, the team realized it looked very similar to rocks retrieved from the lunar surface. 'We had a general idea that this asteroid may have come from the Moon, but the smoking gun was when we found out that it was rich in silicate minerals — not the kind that are seen on asteroids but those that have been found in lunar rock samples,' Kareta said. 'It looks like it hasn't been in space for very long, maybe just a few thousand years or so.' The discovery sheds light on a rare but growing population of lunar asteroids, which could reveal just how many times impacts on the moon have sent wayward space rocks flying into the vicinity of Earth. Ruling out space debris Kareta and members of his team at Lowell Observatory, who study near-Earth asteroids on close orbits, were already observing the object before anyone dubbed it a potential mini-moon. To ensure that 2024 PT5 wasn't a hunk of space debris, like an old rocket, which can also be found in an Earthlike orbit, the team studied how the object moved. Space rocks and manufactured items respond differently to solar radiation pressure, or the momentum of particles of light from the sun. These quantum particles, called photons, exert a tiny bit of force when they encounter objects in space. When many photons hit an object, they can speed it up or slow it down. When photons impact a hollow rocket booster, it moves like an empty tin can getting hit with a wind gust, while an asteroid's motion won't be very noticeably affected, according to NASA. Scientists from NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which tracks asteroids and space debris, calculated the motion of 2024 PT5 and determined it was truly a space rock, rather than debris. 'Space debris and space rocks move slightly differently in space,' said study coauthor Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who worked with CNEOS researchers, in a statement. 'Human-made debris is usually relatively light and gets pushed around by the pressure of sunlight. That 2024 PT5 doesn't move this way indicates it is much denser than space debris.' Robert Jedicke, a specialist emeritus on solar system bodies at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy, believes the argument that 2024 PT5 is of lunar origin is convincing because the study authors 'have performed an exhaustive analysis of all reasonable options.' Jedicke was not involved in the new study. 'The hypothesis that minimoons, or objects like 2024 PT5 on heliocentric orbits similar to Earth's, could be chips off the moon is perfectly reasonable,' Jedicke said in an email. 'It is expected that some objects launched off the moon by an asteroid or comet impact would evolve into these kinds of orbits.' Multiple studies about the object have been published since its discovery in August, and a September paper by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a researcher on the faculty of mathematical sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, was one of the first. He said that most research has arrived at a similar conclusion about 2024 PT5 being lunar debris. De la Fuente Marcos was not involved in the new study. 'Right after discovery, CNEOS' director Paul Chodas stated that the dynamics of 2024 PT5 could only be explained if it was a fragment of the moon released during an impact event. His words have been prophetic,' de la Fuente Marcos said. De la Fuente Marcos' paper in September suggested that the object is part of the Arjuna asteroid belt, which is made of small asteroids that have orbits around the sun similar to Earth's orbit. The possibility that this belt is made of lunar debris is 'indeed an unexpected discovery,' de la Fuente Marcos said. Classifying lunar asteroids Given the lack of weathering on the asteroid, it can only be a maximum of about a few million years old, Kareta said, but it's likely much younger. The reflectivity of the asteroid's surface best matches material from the Lunar Highlands, or the bright, rough terrain on most of the moon's surface, he said. If scientists can link lunar asteroids to specific craters on the moon, the space rocks could reveal more about material on the lunar surface, as well as below it. So far, 2024 PT5 is just the second object in an Earth-like orbit of purported lunar origin. Astronomers found asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa in 2016, which was also likely ejected from the lunar surface after something slammed into the moon. The discovery of Kamo'oalewa excited asteroid scientists who were eager to find more, but no other candidates have emerged until 2024 PT5. 'If there's one of something, it's easy to convince yourself that it's an outlier or hard to explain,' Kareta said. 'If there are two, then there's a whole population out there waiting to be recognized and studied.' Kareta and his colleagues estimate that as many as 16 asteroids of lunar origin have already been found and await confirmation. 'The total size and properties of the population are directly related to how often the moon produces these little wayward rocks — that's the kind of information we want to go after as this population grows,' Kareta said. More sensitive telescopes coming online in the future, like the Vera Rubin Observatory on Earth (in Chile) and the NEO Surveyor in space, will be able to detect more asteroids in general, including small, faint rocks ejected by the moon. 'We're also going to have to get savvier about how we can whittle down the dozens or hundreds of candidate objects with interestingly lunar-like orbits before we go out to the telescope,' Kareta said. 'It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, except the needles don't look too different from the hay until you get them in front of a telescope.'
