Earth's Cosmic Companion Bids Farewell, Returns in January

In a celestial farewell, a small asteroid recently dubbed a "mini moon" is bidding adieu to Earth after a fleeting two-month companionship. The space rock, known as 2024 PT5, will be drawn away by the sun's gravity on Monday but will revisit Earth for a brief encounter in January. Although not technically a moon, it captured attention due to its proximity and potential origins as a fragment from the moon itself.

NASA plans to examine the asteroid using a radar antenna in January, aiming to enhance their understanding of its composition. Despite being over 2 million miles away, it will travel within 1.1 million miles of Earth in January before continuing its orbit around the sun. Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, astrophysicist brothers from Madrid who identified its unusual path, conveyed that the asteroid will be moving swiftly upon its return, twice as fast as it did in September.

The Goldstone solar system radar in California's Mojave Desert will track this intriguing object for more than a week. Observations suggest that during the asteroid's next rendezvous in 2055, it will once again make a brief circuit near Earth. This unique interaction underscores the dynamic nature of celestial bodies and Earth's gravitational influence on them. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)