2024 PT5 - Misplaced Pages

Temporary satellite capture

2024 PT ₅
Discovery
Discovered by	ATLAS South Africa, Sutherland
Discovery date	7 August 2024
Designations
MPC designation	2024 PT ₅
Alternative designations	A119q0V
Minor planet category	NEO Apollo
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 2024-Oct-17 (JD 2460600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 1
Observation arc	78 days
Aphelion	1.03404603 AU (Q)
Perihelion	0.99056401 AU (q)
Semi-major axis	1.01230502 AU (a)
Eccentricity	0.02147674 (e)
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.01853344 years
Mean anomaly	323.67717° (M)
Inclination	1.520524° (i)
Longitude of ascending node	305.5725° (Ω)
Time of perihelion	2024-Nov-23.53554
Argument of perihelion	116.2484° (ω)
Earth MOID	0.0060782 AU (909,290 km; 2.3654 LD)
Jupiter MOID	3.95662 AU (591,902,000 km)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	~ 11 m (36 ft) 5–42 meters
Synodic rotation period	≤ 1h
Absolute magnitude (H)	27.4

2024 PT₅ is a near-Earth object roughly 11 meters (36 ft) in diameter discovered by ATLAS South Africa, Sutherland on 7 August 2024, the day before approaching Earth at 568,500 km (353,200 mi).

Orbit

The object orbits the Sun but makes slow close approaches to the Earth–Moon system. Between 29 September (19:54 UTC) and 25 November 2024 (16:43 UTC) (a period of 1 month and 27 days) it passed just outside Earth's Hill sphere (roughly 0.01 AU ) at a low relative velocity (in the range 0.002 km/s (4.5 mph) – 0.439 km/s ) and will become temporarily captured by Earth's gravity, with a geocentric orbital eccentricity of less than 1 and negative geocentric orbital energy. The most recent closest approach to Earth was 8 August 2024 at roughly 567,000 km (352,000 mi) when it had a relative velocity of 1.37 km/s (3,100 mph).

On 18 August 2024 CNEOS removed 2024 PT₅ from their Sentry Risk Table, having determined it poses no risk of a potential Earth impact.

The object is expected to make another approach in 2025 and 2055. This object will possibly return to orbit around Earth around 8 May 2084.

Animation of 2024 PT5

Around the Earth – Close approach 2024 PT5 · Earth · Moon

Entering and Exiting Geocentric Orbit
Epoch	Earth distance	Geocentric eccentricity	Apogee	Orbital period
2024-Sep-29	0.0230 AU (3.44 million km)	1.016	$\infty$	$\infty$
2024-Sep-30	0.0232 AU (3.47 million km)	0.997	2.9 AU (430 million km)	99.84 years (36,468 d)
2024-Oct-24	0.0268 AU (4.01 million km)	0.614	0.028 AU (4.2 million km)	1.35 years (493 d)
2024-Nov-25	0.0238 AU (3.56 million km)	0.983	0.72 AU (108 million km)	127.24 years (46,473 d)
2024-Nov-26	0.0236 AU (3.53 million km)	1.009	$\infty$	$\infty$

Physical properties

Its color indices and the spectrum obtained with Gemini North best matches lunar rock samples followed by S-complex asteroids and has a rotation period of around 0.7h. Its visible spectrum obtained with GTC is consistent with that of an Sv-type asteroid or perhaps lunar ejecta. Its reflectance spectrum in the range 350–2,350 nanometres (3,500–23,500 Å) obtained with LDT/IRTF is inconsistent with artificial objects and asteroids, its surface is quite red, well matched by samples of the Moon, both Maria and Highlands.

References

"MPEC 2024-P170 : 2024 PT5". IAU Minor Planet Center. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024. (K24P05T)
^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2024 PTR5)" (last observation: 28 August 2024; arc: 21 days (122 obs)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
"2024 PT5 Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
Earth to capture a 'second moon' this weekend, NASA says
^ "JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris for 2024 PT5 orbit of Earth (geocentric) for September – November 2024". JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 10 September 2024. Geocentric solution. Ephemeris Type: Orbital Elements / Center: @399
de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (10 September 2024). "A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT₅ Captured by Earth from September to November". Research Notes of the AAS. 8 (9): 224. Bibcode:2024RNAAS...8..224D. doi:10.3847/2515-5172/ad781f.
"Sentry: Earth Impact Monitoring". JPL/CNEOS.
DUNN, MARCIA. "Earth's 'mini moon' may have been a chunk of our actual moon". Associated Press. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Robert Lea (26 November 2024). "Earth's mini-moon has finally departed. Will it ever return as a 'second moon?'". Space.com. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
"Horizons Batch for September – November 2024 Geocentric distance" (Escaping Earth's Hill Sphere @ ~0.01au). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 10 September 2024. (JPL#2/Soln.date: 2024-Aug-30)
Bolin, Bryce T.; Denneau, Larry; Abron, Laura-May; Jedicke, Robert; Chiboucas, Kristin; Ingerbretsen, Carl; Lemaux, Brian C. (November 2024). "The discovery and characterization of minimoon 2024 PT₅". arXiv:2411.08029 .
de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl; de León, Julia; Serra-Ricart, Miquel; de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; Alarcon, Miguel R.; Licandro, Javier; Geier, Stefan; Tejero, Alvaro; Perez Romero, Alberto; Perez-Toledo, Fabricio; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio (15 November 2024). "Basaltic mini-moon: Characterizing 2024 PT₅ with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Two-meter Twin Telescope". arXiv:2411.08834 .
Robert Lea (22 November 2024). "Earth's 'second moon' is just visiting its cosmic parents for Thanksgiving". Space.com. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
"LDT/IRTF reflectance spectrum" (PDF) (350-2350 nm spectrum). International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). Retrieved 15 November 2024.