Many Twin Moon Phenomenon, Here’s BRIN’s Explanation

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.TV – A researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Thomas Djamaluddin clarified a phenomenon that has been widely discussed recently on social media, namely the phenomenon of moon twins.

Many believe that this event is a rare astronomical event, where two moons appear in the sky at the same time. However, according to Thomas, the term twin moon is not entirely accurate.

In his statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (25/9/2024), Thomas explained that the Moon is the only natural satellite on Earth that is large and visible to the naked eye.

However, at certain times, there are other objects such as asteroids that can be caught in the Earth’s gravity and orbit the planet for a short period of time. These asteroids are often referred to as “mini moons” or “mini moons.”

“This asteroid is not a second moon, but because it is temporarily locked in Earth’s orbit, some media are calling it a ‘small moon’,” he said.

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One example of this phenomenon is the asteroid code named “2024 PT5.” This asteroid is expected to be pulled by Earth’s gravity from September 29 to November 25, 2024.

Asteroid 2024 PT5 is relatively small, only about 10 meters. According to Thomas, its size is very different from the moon and it will not be like the full moon that we usually see in the sky.

The orbit of this asteroid is also not a perfect circle and it circles the Earth only once before returning to its original orbit around the Sun.

In addition, Thomas explained that this asteroid is not a threat to the Earth because of its small size. Even if it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the asteroid will burn up and it is possible that the rest will fall into an uninhabited area.

“Such asteroids are often detected and are not dangerous. An asteroid of this size fell into the waters of Bone, Sulawesi, in 2009. However, because its orbit was locked in the Earth’s gravity for a while , it was considered interesting for astronomers to take note,” he said.

For those who are curious, Thomas emphasized that the asteroid 2024 PT5 cannot be seen with the naked eye because its size is too small and the light is too low.

“To be able to see it, we need a telescope that is big enough,” he said. Currently, several observatories with sophisticated telescopes in the world are preparing to observe the movement of this asteroid.

Thomas invites the public not to worry about this phenomenon. He saw it as an opportunity to increase knowledge about small objects in our solar system.

“This is an interesting thing for the world of astronomy, although it will not be visible to most people. However, this reminds us that there are many objects in the solar system that may surprise give,” said Thomas Djamaluddin, quoted from Between.

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