Bringing a twist to the phrase “new moon,” Asteroid 2024 PT5 will make its appearance in orbit on Sunday night, September 29, and is expected to be a guest in our celestial skies through late November, meaning Earth technically has a second heavenly body, at least for a little while.
Astronomers describe asteroid PT5 as a “horseshoe-shaped” object. It is part of the Arjuna asteroid class that orbits the sun and was discovered by the South African Astronomical Observatory last August.
“PT5’s orbital pass will only bring it to within a million miles of Earth, so there’s no danger of impact. At just 30 feet in diameter, the space rock is so small and dim, it might be seen only with a very large telescope,” wrote Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer of the Franklin Institute, in an op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 27.
So these are the astronomical basics, but how will Asteroid 2024 PT5 effect us in astrological terms?
“This ‘second Moon’ is expected to increase the flow of lunar energy in our lives, thereby intensifying our emotions,” writes Neeraj Dhankher over in New Delhi for the Hindustan Times. “This development becomes even more significant as it will occur alongside this year’s last Solar eclipse on October 2.”
The next time PT5 is expected to return is in the year 2055.
