The moon is getting a little friend. For about two months a so-called mini-moon will orbit Earth.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We have news about the moon, which is getting a sidekick, at least temporarily.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Yes, it’s being called a mini-moon. It is expected to orbit the Earth for about two months from this Sunday through Thanksgiving.
INSKEEP: But that’s no moon, as Teddy Kareta with the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., explains.
TEDDY KARETA: So when people talk about mini-moons or quasi-satellites or any of these other terms, they’re talking about asteroids that have temporarily wandered close enough to the Earth and with the right velocity that for a couple of weeks, a couple of months, a couple of years, they end up in orbit around the earth.
MARTIN: That’s right. It’s an asteroid. Now this phenomenon might seem rare, but Kareta says it’s really not.
KARETA: It happens every couple of years, and often it’s sort of hard to look for these objects because they’re often small, which means they’re faint. They don’t reflect a lot of sunlight.
MARTIN: Meaning most people won’t even be able to see this mini-don’t-call-it-a-moon.
INSKEEP: Although maybe that’s OK. It’s like having an imaginary friend for a little while.
MARTIN: Yes, a best friend named Asteroid 2024 PT5.
INSKEEP: And even though the asteroid is said to be around 33 feet long, which would be a big deal if it hit the earth, Kareta says it’s not a threat to Earth.
KARETA: Not only do we have a sense of where it’s going, we know what its trajectory will be. We can predict it. So should it get really close to the Earth, let’s say, for instance, if it were to get into the atmosphere, it would burn up and not really leave too much on the ground. It’s not big enough to be dangerous to humans and it’s not going to be close enough to be dangerous to the satellites.
MARTIN: Okay, so nothing to fear from the moon’s new bestie.
INSKEEP: (Laughter) Good to know that it’s not a trap. You know, I wish I could see it, though. Sometimes when I go out, very, very, very early in the morning to come to work here, I’ll see the moon. It’s gorgeous at 3:30, 3:40.
MARTIN: And you’re awake enough to look up? Good for you. Good for you.
INSKEEP: Yeah, I am. I’m waiting on the Uber. That’s the deal.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT”)
KING HARVEST: (Singing) Dancing in the moonlight – everybody’s feeling warm and bright.
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