As of September 29, 2024, Earth has captured a tiny asteroid, designated 2024 PT5, which has transformed into a temporary mini-moon. This event was confirmed by astronomers at the Complutense University of Madrid, who detected the asteroid using a powerful telescope in South Africa.
Richard Binzel, an astronomer from MIT, explained that such captures happen relatively often, although they are usually difficult to observe due to the small size of these objects. Mini-moons like 2024 PT5 are small asteroids that Earth's gravity can capture temporarily, allowing them to orbit our planet for a few weeks or months before they escape back into their solar orbits.
The capture of 2024 PT5 began at 3:54 p.m. EDT and is expected to last until November 25, 2024. This asteroid is part of the Arjuna asteroid belt, located about 93 million miles from the sun. Its proximity allows it to come within 2.8 million miles of Earth at speeds under 2,200 miles per hour.
Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor and expert on mini-moons, noted that 2024 PT5 won't complete a full orbit around Earth, likening it to a "window shopper" rather than a permanent satellite.
Though the idea of having a second moon might seem extraordinary, such gravitational captures are not uncommon. Scientists have documented a few short captures in the past, which typically last about a week.
While 2024 PT5 is too small and dim for most amateur astronomers to spot, it provides a unique opportunity for scientific study. It allows researchers to gain insights into near-Earth objects and the dynamics of our solar system.
As 2024 PT5 continues its journey, the scientific community remains eager to observe and learn from this fleeting visitor, highlighting the ever-changing nature of our cosmic environment.
地球正式獲得第二個月亮
截至2024年9月29日，地球捕獲了一顆微小的隕石，編號為2024 PT5，這顆隕石已變成了一個臨時的迷你月亮。這一事件由馬德里康普盧滕斯大學的天文學家確認，他們使用南非的一個強大望遠鏡探測到了這顆隕石。
麻省理工學院的天文學家理查德·賓澤爾解釋說，這種捕獲事件相對常見，但由於這些物體體積小，通常難以觀測。像2024 PT5這樣的迷你月亮是小隕石，地球的重力可以暫時捕獲它們，讓它們在我們的行星周圍運行幾週或幾個月，然後再逃回到它們的太陽軌道中。
2024 PT5的捕獲於東部時間下午3:54開始，預計將持續到2024年11月25日。這顆隕石是阿爾朱納小行星帶的一部分，位於距離太陽約9300萬英里的位置。它的接近使它能夠在不到280萬英里的距離內以低於2200英里的速度接近地球。
迷你月亮專家卡洛斯·德·拉·弗恩特·馬科斯教授指出，2024 PT5不會完成圍繞地球的完整軌道，將其比作“窗口購物者”，而不是永久的衛星。
儘管擁有第二個月亮的想法似乎很不尋常，但這種重力捕獲並不罕見。科學家們已經記錄了一些短期捕獲的事件，這些事件通常持續約一週。
雖然2024 PT5對於大多數業餘天文愛好者來說太小而且太暗，以至於無法觀測，但它為科學研究提供了獨特的機會。它使研究人員能夠獲得有關近地物體和我們太陽系動態的見解。
隨著2024 PT5繼續其旅程，科學界對於觀察和研究這位短暫訪客保持著熱切的期待，這凸顯了我們宇宙環境的持續變化。
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