According to an article published on January 14th by the scientific journal Astrophysical Journal Letters, asteroid 2024 PT5, which orbited the Earth for approximately two months between September and November 2024, was in fact a piece of the moon that most likely separated from the satellite millions of years ago. 

Scientists from the United States Space Agency (NASA) analyzed the asteroid’s material while it was on the Earth’s orbit. The results show that the satellite contained silicate, a mineral that is often found in lunar rocks. The finding was possible because of images captured by the Lowell Discovery Telescope. 

Other factors that helped the team discover the celestial object’s lunar origin were the way the sunlight reflected off the asteroid and how the satellite orbited around the Earth. Natural objects move differently in space compared to debris left behind by human activity, since they are not as affected by solar pressure. 

Remembering the story 

In the beginning of September 2024, the Earth was orbited by an asteroid the size of a bus. The “mini-moon” left the planet’s gravitational field in November, after two months. Events such as this one occur when an asteroid – a rocky celestial body that orbits planets and stars of great mass (like the Sun) – is “pulled” into a planet’s gravitational field and begins to orbit around it. 

Glossary: 

Silicate: a compound derived from silicon, found in rocks, clay, and minerals.

Solar pressure: the force that solar radiation exerts on an object or a surface. 

Orbit: the trajectory of one star around another, that is, revolving around it. The Moon orbits the Earth, and the Earth orbits the Sun.

Sources: The New York Times, Astrophysical Journal Letters, World Monuments Fund

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