It is part of the moon

For a brief time, but exciting, last year, the Earth was two satellites. A small asteroid remained near our planet in its orbit around the sun, temporarily arrested with the gravity of the Earth to become a small moon away. A closer look at the space rock reveals a somewhat familiar origin: the microcosm in the Earth may be a piece of our normal moon.

The small object near the ground 2024 PT5 was first monitored on August 7, 2024 by the last floor alert system (ATLAS). The small asteroid measures only 33 feet (10 meters), and its orbit around the sun is closely identical to the Earth’s chase, indicating that it may have arisen nearby. In fact, the asteroid may consist of a rock separated from the surface of the moon and was removed in space in the wake of a major effect, according to a recent study. Published in Astronomical Physics Magazine messages.

“We had a general idea that this asteroid might be from the moon, but the smoking pistol was when we discovered that it was rich in silicate mineral Luel Observatory in Arizona, and the leader of the pioneering study, in a statement.

Asteroids generally originate from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter orbits, but there are a small number of space rocks that were floating on the moon after a tremendous effect. “This is a story about the moon as the asteroid scientists narrated,” added Kareta. “It is a rare situation where we went out to study the asteroid, but then, it spread in a new area in terms of questions that we can ask in 2024 PT5.”

When it was first discovered, the sunlight spectrum reflected from the surface of the micro -moon does not match to any other as the asteroid, and instead, the rocks match our moon. This, in addition to how the object moves, scientists lead the study to conclude that the space rock has spread from the natural satellite.

Since it was not made of the same substance as asteroids, the planetary scientists wanted to exclude that the mini moon was a piece of space in an Earth -like orbit (in 2020, the Earth had another temporary mort It was found that he was an old missile supporter). The difference between the asteroid and ruin in space is in how they move them in space, such as light molecules, or photons, from the sun that exercise small strength on things in space, speeding up or slowing them.

This force of solar radiation has a less effect on the movement of natural things, such as asteroids, in space. “The human debris is usually relatively light and is pushed due to the pressure of the sun’s rays,” Oscar Fiwins Montes, a post -PhD fellow in NASA and the co -author of the new study. “2024 PT5 does not move in this way indicates that it is more intense than the space (man -made).”

Scientists behind the study also noted the lack of a space for space on the surface of the micro -moon, indicating that the effect behind its establishment has most likely occurred a few thousand years ago.

Moon associated asteroids can be increased as telescopes become sensitive to the discovery of smaller space rocks. If lunar asteroids can be returned to a specific effect hole on the moon, scientists may help to learn more about the lunar notification process, according to the study.