Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory: Earth's temporary satellite is about to approach our planet
At the end of September, the asteroid 2024 PT5 will approach the Earth and become its second temporary satellite for 56 days, Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory named after N. Tusi told Paralel.Az.
According to the information, Asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered on August 7 by astronomers from the Complutense University in Madrid. The asteroid, which is about 10 meters long, will fall under Earth's gravity and become its mini-satellite from September 29 to November 25. But according to calculations, the asteroid will not go into full orbit and will soon return to the Sun's gravity and continue its journey. Unfortunately, the asteroid is very small and dim. Since 2024 PT5 has a magnitude of 27.6, it will not be visible to the naked eye, even with amateur telescopes.
Nevertheless, this mini-satellite has important scientific significance. This event is an important example to better understand near-Earth asteroids, to analyze their trajectory and to study how they behave when they fall into the Earth's gravity. This information will also play an important role in estimating the probability of other asteroids colliding with the Earth in the future. Because sometimes asteroids can reach the Earth, but their size is not always so small.