{"id":2344570,"date":"2024-09-22T18:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-22T22:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/earth-to-temporarily-acquire-a-second-moon-scientists-say\/"},"modified":"2024-09-22T18:03:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-22T22:03:31","slug":"earth-to-temporarily-acquire-a-second-moon-scientists-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/earth-to-temporarily-acquire-a-second-moon-scientists-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth to Temporarily Acquire a &#8216;Second Moon,&#8217; Scientists Say"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fearth-to-temporarily-acquire-a-second-moon-scientists-say%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344570&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A new asteroid,\u200d dubbed 2024 PT5, \u2064is set \u200cto visit Earth from September 29 to November 25, 2024. \u200cThis &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spacex-begins-mission-to-crash-nasa-spaceship-into-an-asteroid\/\" title=\"SpaceX Begins Mission To Crash NASA Spaceship Into An Asteroid\">mini-moon<\/a>&#8221; will orbit our \u2064planet for \u2062approximately 57 days before making its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unexpected-asteroid-passing-really-close-by-earth\/\" title=\"Unexpected Asteroid Passing Really Close By Earth\">closest approach<\/a> on January\u200d 9, 2025. The asteroid was discovered by researchers from the\u2063 Asteroid Terrestrial-impact\u2063 Last Alert System, a NASA-funded initiative.\u200c Unlike\u200d permanent moons, 2024 PT5 \u200cwill not complete a \u200cfull orbit around Earth and\u200c is classified as part\u200c of the Arjuna asteroid belt, which contains space \u200brocks with orbits similar to Earth&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>Carlos de la \u2062Fuente\u200b Marcos, the lead researcher, noted that \u2064the object could come as close as \u20632.8 \u200dmillion miles to Earth and have\u2062 speeds of up to 2,200\u2062 miles per \u200bhour. The asteroid&#8217;s temporary capture by Earth&#8217;s gravity is\u2064 described as a brief encounter rather than a stable orbital relationship, akin to\u200d &#8220;window shopping&#8221; rather than \u2063being a true moon. Despite\u200d its proximity,\u200d 2024 \u2064PT5 is too small and dim for \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/that-string-of-satellites-you-see-crawling-across-the-night-sky-is-about-to-be-a-big-problem-scientists\/\" title=\"That String of Satellites You See Crawling Across the Night Sky Is About to Be a Big Problem: Scientists\">amateur telescopes<\/a> to observe, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stranded-suez-canal-cargo-ship-partially-freed\/\" title=\"Stranded Suez Canal Cargo Ship Partially Freed\">requiring specialized equipment<\/a> \u2062for professional astronomers.<\/p>\n<p>Astronomy \u2062experts indicate that such captures may happen \u2062more frequently than we realize, but detecting them poses \u200dchallenges. To maintain a stable \u2062orbit as a permanent \u200dmoon, an object would need to slow down significantly, \u2064which is unlikely without the influence of a \u200clarger celestial body.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earth will welcome a visitor in a few days as a traveling asteroid is expected to spend almost two months revolving around the planet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The so-called &ldquo;mini-moon&rdquo; will be around from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/earth-second-mini-moon-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researchers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, which is funded by NASA, spotted the asteroid and christened it 2024 PT5, which will have a 57-day orbit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The asteroid will be near Earth even after it stops orbiting, paying its closest call on Jan. 9 before going its own way.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asteroids and mini-moons have been around before. One asteroid hung about for a few years before departing in 2020; another made pit stops around Earth in 1981 and 2022 and will make another call in 2051.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mini-moon will be temporarily pulled by Earth&rsquo;s gravity into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/olympic-swimming-pool-sized-asteroid-discovered-ranks-no-1-risk-hitting-earth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">orbit<\/a> before eventually pulling free to rotate around the sun again in its travels<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;The object that is going to pay us a visit belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt, a secondary asteroid belt made of space rocks that follow orbits very similar to that of Earth at an average distance to the sun of about 93 million miles,&rdquo; said Universidad Complutense de Madrid professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, the lead researcher on the team that found the object, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/earth-mini-moon-asteroid-2024-pt5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Space.com<\/a>, which referred to the object as a &ldquo;second moon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Objects in the Arjuna asteroid belt are part of the near-Earth object population of asteroids and comets,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marcos said objects can get as close as 2.8 million miles away and slow down to speeds of 2,200 miles per hour.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Under these conditions, the geocentric energy of the object may grow negative, and the object may become a temporary moon of Earth. This particular object will undergo this process starting next week and for about two months,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;It will not follow a full orbit around Earth.&ldquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average person <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nasa-crashes-308m-spaceship-directly-asteroid-moments-violent-end-captured-photos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cannot see<\/a> the object, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The object is too small and dim for typical amateur telescopes and binoculars. However, the object is well within the brightness range of typical telescopes used by professional astronomers,&rdquo; Marcos said. &ldquo;A telescope with a diameter of at least 30 inches plus a CCD or CMOS detector are needed to observe this object, a 30 inches telescope and a human eye behind it will not be enough.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;You may say that if a true satellite is like a customer buying goods inside a store, objects like 2024 PT5 are window shoppers,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asteroids often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nasa-testing-planets-final-defense-rogue-asteroid-barreling-space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wander by<\/a> Earth, Derek Richardson, an astronomy professor at the University of Maryland said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-environment\/2024\/09\/19\/earth-second-mini-moon-asteroid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Captures like this must occur frequently. They are just hard to detect,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;To become a stable moon orbiting us, the object would need to lose a lot more speed,&rdquo; Richardson said, which would only happen if some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invisible-electromagnetic-fields-do-they-harm-your-health\/\" title=\"Invisible Electromagnetic Fields\u2014Do They Harm Your Health?\">massive body<\/a> in space forces it to lose speed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;The dance will only last a little while,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In just a few days, Earth will host a visitor as a traveling asteroid is anticipated to orbit the planet for nearly two months. This &#8220;mini-moon&#8221; is expected to be present from September 29 to November 25, as reported by CBS. The asteroid, named 2024 PT5 by researchers at NASA&#8217;s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, will have an orbit lasting 57 days. Even after it ceases its orbit, the asteroid will remain close to Earth, making its nearest approach on January 9 before continuing on its path.<\/p>\n<p>Asteroids and mini-moons have made appearances in the past; one asteroid lingered for several years before leaving in 2020, while another visited in both 1981 and 2022 and is set to return in 2051. The mini-moon will be temporarily captured by Earth&#8217;s gravity into an orbit but will eventually break free to continue its journey around the sun.<\/p>\n<p>According to Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and lead researcher of the team that discovered this object, it belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt\u2014a secondary belt of space rocks with orbits similar to Earth&#8217;s average distance from the sun of about 93 million miles. He noted that these objects can come as close as approximately 2.8 million miles away from Earth and can slow down significantly.<\/p>\n<p>Marcos explained that under certain conditions, such as when geocentric energy becomes negative due to proximity effects, an object like this could become a temporary moon of Earth for about two months starting next week; however, it won&#8217;t complete a full orbit around our planet.<\/p>\n<p>The average person won&#8217;t be able to see this object since it&#8217;s too small and dim for standard amateur telescopes or binoculars. Professional astronomers would need telescopes with at least a diameter of 30 inches equipped with CCD or CMOS detectors for observation\u2014just using human eyesight behind such equipment wouldn&#8217;t suffice.<\/p>\n<p>He likened true satellites (like those permanently orbiting) to customers shopping inside a store while objects like 2024 PT5 are merely window shoppers passing by. Derek Richardson, an astronomy professor at the University of Maryland mentioned that encounters like this likely happen frequently but are challenging to detect. For an object like this one to become a stable moon around Earth permanently would require significant speed loss\u2014something only possible through interaction with another massive celestial body.<\/p>\n<p>Richardson concluded that this brief encounter would not last long<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Moon.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41471,8437,11487,41470,39459],"class_list":["post-2344570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-celestial-events","tag-earth","tag-scientists","tag-second-moon","tag-space-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Moon.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}