show up NASAabout the date of the disappearance of the small moon, which is located a short distance from the last visit to the sky of the earthIt is expected to disappear soon until the year 2055. Small moons are not particularly rare, but they can be very difficult to find.
For her part, Barbara Castanheira Endel, professor of physics at Baylor University in Texas, said that this small moon is particularly interesting for its size, since it is one of the largest of these moons, which are very weak and we can only see them through the light they reflect.
This is scheduled to go Small moon Earth’s orbit on Monday, November 25. The asteroid is believed to have previously appeared near Earth in the form of a “little moon” in the 1960s, and is expected to return again in 2055.
The 2024 PT5 moon is so small that you cannot see it using binoculars, or even beginner and amateur telescopes.
The 2024 PT5 moon will pass Earth at a speed of “almost nine times” the speed of the Moon, according to NASA.
Scientists at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Observations (CNEOS) suspect that the object may be a large piece of rock ejected from the surface of the Moon after a long-ago asteroid impact, but after analyzing the movement of this object, it was determined that 2024 PT5 is likely It must be of natural origin.
The “minimoon” was spotted by the University of Hawaii’s Last Asteroid Impact Alert System (ATLAS), which is funded by NASA.
As the website editor of world-today-news.com, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Greenstreet, an astrophysicist at the SETI Institute, and Dr. Barbara Castanheira Endel, professor of physics at Baylor University in Texas, about the upcoming disappearance of a small moon from Earth’s sky. In our conversation, we discussed various aspects related to this celestial event.
Dr. Greenstreet, could you please tell us more about this small moon and why it is significant for scientists?
Dr. Greenstreet: Thank you for having me. This particular small moon, known as 2024 PT5, is significant because it’s relatively large compared to other small moons or asteroids that orbit near Earth. It’s about 40 meters in diameter and reflects sunlight like a small comet or asteroid. We are especially interested in studying it because of its rare size and composition.
Dr. Castanheira Endel, you mentioned earlier that the size of this small moon makes it particularly interesting. Could you elaborate on that?
Dr. Castanheira Endel: Yes, indeed. Small moons like 2024 PT5 are quite intriguing because they are quite rare and challenging to find. Most of them are extremely small, and they’re usually only visible through the light they reflect off the sun. 2024 PT5, being a relatively large one, allows us to study its properties more closely and learn about their formation and evolution.
Can you tell us more about the disappearance of this small moon from Earth’s sky? When and how will it happen?
Dr. Greenstreet: According to NASA, the 2024 PT5 moon will pass Earth on Monday, November 25, at about 21,000 miles above the planet’s surface. While it’s not dangerous for us, it’s still quite interesting to see this celestial event happening. The moon will be heading towards the night side of Earth, which means that it will not be visible with the naked eye or even with beginner’s telescopes. So, unfortunately, we won’t be able to see it disappear from our sky.
Dr. Castanheira Endel, what kind of tools or techniques are required to observe such small celestial