Since Sept. 29, the Earth has had a second moon, a “mini-moon,” which will last for a few more weeks, according to scientists. But actually, it’s a small space rock — and it’s not the only unusual object that will dance through the night sky in the upcoming days and weeks.
These astronomical events — a comet just as bright as Jupiter and the mini-moon — are not just interesting to look at. They offer a unique glimpse into the vastness of the galaxy that we call home.
“We are part of space and the universe, and the universe is colorful and diverse, and it has so much to offer,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer and research scientist at Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics at the Minor Planet Center.
The mini-moon is a novel event because until recently, astronomers did not have telescopes advanced enough to see these asteroids or space rocks, Veres said.
Scientists say the mini-moon, which measures only 10 meters in size, can actually be quite useful for space missions and research.
Because the asteroid is so close to Earth, sending a spacecraft there would be cheap and easy, Veres said.
For an object to be considered a mini-moon, it has to move toward Earth around a slow 2,200 mph and approach a range of around 2.8 million miles, as reported by Space.com.
“It’s a much safer test flight to a destination in space than committing a human crew all the way to Mars as a first time out,” said Richard Binzel, professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Because the asteroid is so small, it will not be visible by the naked eye, said Sammy Siegel, a PhD student studying astronomy at Boston University.
So the mini-moon is much more useful to astronomers than it is to us. Whereas movies often portray asteroids as dangerous threats to mankind, more often than not, they’re harmless.
“Dangerous asteroids are clickbait, basically, and they’re easy clickbait,” Binzel said. “So these things do tend to get over-hyped. We just kind of put up with it.”
Still, NASA runs tests to protect Earth from asteroids.
Another exciting astronomical event coming up — one Binzel said is not over-hyped — is a comet, or what Veres calls a “dirty snowball,” that will swoosh across the night sky for the next few weeks.
“You’re seeing basically an object melting before your very eyes,” Siegel said.
The comet, called Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, will become visible on Oct. 9, when it reaches its brightest, Siegel said. It will be closest to Earth on Oct. 12, and it will be most visible after sunset in the western horizon.
“As a human, you’re seeing stars [that] are light years away … or these comets coming from the very outer reaches of the solar system, [where] we don’t even really know what’s out there,” Siegel said. “Even asteroids are kind of a mystery, because they’re so small.”
Humans have an innate desire to explore, Binzel said. Our curiosity and craving for knowledge about the universe is, in some ways, a reason behind human survival and advancement.
“Another survival motivation for why we’re interested in space is the seasons,” Binzel said. “You need to know when to plant your crops, when to harvest your crops, and to do that, you keep track of where the sun is in the sky, so you’re constantly looking skyward.”
Not only does the feeling of awe help connect people across cultures and generations, but it helps us learn about ourselves, Siegel said.
“Humans are as much a part of the universe as any star or planet or asteroid or galaxy,” Siegel said. “When I do study the universe, I’m also learning about … how I fit into the bigger picture.”
Interest in space has no social barrier, Veres said. Anyone can experience a unique connection to the sky.
“Every human that’s ever lived has had some relationship to the sky,” Siegel said. “The sky is our shared heritage.”
