2024PT5 – A new Earth ‘mini-moon’ discovery!
This near-Earth asteroid was discovered on 2024-08-07, 21:11:57.2928 UT (9° Cap 58'37.61"Rx) at M22-ATLAS in South Africa, and it was described by the researchers Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos here. The perihelion is 2024-11-24, 21:26:12 UT (11° Leo 04'52.27"Rx), based on the JPL orbital solution on 2024-09-14.
The Earth will capture it, and it will become a ‘mini-moon’ from Sep. 29 to Nov. 25. It’s referred to as a “temporarily captured fly-by” (we know of three or four of these) unlike some of the other “captures,” e.g., 469219 Kamo`oalewa, thought to be once part of our Moon. She is the most stable of the Earth’s quasi-satellites, “captured” in the late-19th century and will be around for several centuries at least. The “temporarily captured orbiters” (2006RH120 and 2020CD3) are also interesting. I’ve tracked these since discovery.
All of these “captured” objects, even the tiniest one, have astrological significance, especially Kamo`oalewa (41 m), and should be tracked as they transit our natal charts. Do astrologers track them, look at natal placements, and so forth? Without an ephemeris with ecliptic-of-date coordinates, it’s impossible, right? We believe they have a message for us, even if short-lived, as with the “temporarily captured fly-by” 2024PT5. It will be retrograde the entire time while looping the Earth, spending most of the time in Tropical Leo from Oct. 6 through Dec. 15. For those who might continue to track it and, thus, to better understand its significance, it’s stationary direct on Feb. 1, 2025, 19:51 UT (4° Can 21'44.83").
2024PT5 is visible in the northern hemisphere in the constellation Draco from Aug. 29 to Oct. 13, then moves into Ursa Minor.
Enjoy your research!
For a complimentary Daily Greenwich Noon Ephemeris (Aug. 7 – Dec. 31) of this ‘mini-moon’, click here.
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Additional Reading:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_PT5
2. https://earthsky.org/space/earth-asteroid-mini-moon-for-2-months-2024/
3. https://shorturl.at/rSikm
4. https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?utf8=%E2%9C%93&object_id=2024 PT5
5. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2024PT5
6. https://theconversation.com/earth-is-getting-a-tiny-new-mini-moon-it-wont-be-the-first-or-the-last-239507
7. https://twitter.com/i/status/1833588006353310110
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