An investigation by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) has determined that the material of the surface of the surface of the surface asteroid 2024 PT5, which orbited around the Sun in a trajectory very similar to that of the Earth-Luna System and accompanied our planet for two months in 2024, It has a lunar origin.
The “Mini Luna” 2024 PT5 was discovered in August 2024, and in September “it was trapped” by earthly gravity and remained under its influence until November.
Its optical spectrum is very similar to that exhibited lunar materials collected on the surface of the Luna For the Moon and Apollo missions, they indicated in a statement.
“Studying the composition of these objects is essential to understand their origin and their evolution over millions of years,” said Julia de León, responsible for the IAC Solar System Group, in Spain.
“The orbital dynamics, very similar to that of the earth-lun system, and this composition of its surface supports the conclusion that 2024 PT5 can have its origin in the impact of an asteroid against the moon “, Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, researcher at the UCM Space and Data Mining Group, explained.
Another of the tests that make researchers think that this object occurred after that impact is the rotation around its axis, less than 60 minutes, although They do not rule out that it is in chaotic rotation and an average value cannot be assigned.
“This fact is characteristic of objects produced during violent processes, such as impacts,” Marcos added.
The investigation has been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters, and is aligned with two other American independent investigations, one led by the Lowell Observatory and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and another by the Institute of Astronomy from the University of Hawaii.
For the analysis of their surface, the Spanish researchers carried out astrometric-tuma of images-from September 2024 to January 2025 with the TT1 and TT2 (two-meter twin telescope) and TST (Transient Survey Telescope) telescopes, managed by Light Bridges in collaboration with the IAC the Teide Observatory (Tenerife).
In addition, spectra and photometry were obtained – Curva de Luz – with the great Canary Islands Telescope in the Observatory of the Roque de los Muchachos on the Spanish Island of La Palma, in September 2024.
The calculations associated with the study of the dynamics of this object were carried out in the UCM.
In addition to this result, Spanish researchers also conclude that the 2022 NX1 object has physical properties similar to those of 2024 PT5 and those of 469219 kamo`oalewa, a quasi satellite of the Tierra.
These three asteroids are part of the structure called Arjuna asteroid belt, objects close to the earth that turn around the sun.
“We have no information about the composition of the vast majority of the Arjunas, but the fact that three of them have surfaces with properties compatible with those of the lunar material suggests that the asteroid impacts on the moon help to populate the Arjuna asteroid belt .
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(Tagstotranslate) Space