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Mahesh

30/09/24 14:25 PM IST

Earth now has two moons, but can you see the 'second moon' from India?

In News
  • Earth has a new, temporary companion in space: a "mini moon" named Asteroid 2024 PT5.
About 2024 PT5
  • Asteroid 2024 PT5 is about 10 metres wide and was first spotted by scientists in Spain this August.
  • It’s expected to orbit Earth for about two months, circling our planet until it breaks free on November 25.
  • Unlike our main Moon, this mini moon won’t complete a full orbit around Earth before heading back into space.
  • This space rock is part of a group of asteroids called the Arjuna asteroid belt, which travels in a similar path around the Sun as Earth does.
  • Mini moons like this aren’t as rare as you might think — there was another one spotted in 2020, but they are small and hard to detect.
  • Only large, professional-grade telescopes can catch a glimpse of 2024 PT5 due to its size and dim appearance.
  • So, unless you’re working with major space equipment, you’ll have to rely on online images from observatories.
Source- Live Mint

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