Study Finds That Earth's Small Asteroid Visitor Is Likely A Chunk Of Moon Rock

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A near-Earth object was likely ejected into space after an impact thousands of years ago. Now it could contribute new insights to asteroid and lunar science.

The small near-Earth object 2024 PT5 captured the world's attention last year after a telescope discovered it lingering close to—but never orbiting—our planet for several months. The asteroid, which is about 33 feet (10 meters) wide, does not pose a hazard to Earth, but its orbit around the sun closely matches that of our planet, hinting that it may have originated nearby.

As described in a study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters , researchers have collected further evidence of 2024 PT5 being of local origin: It appears to be composed of rock broken off from the moon's surface and ejected into space after a large impact.

"We had a general idea that this asteroid may have come from the moon, but the smoking gun was when we found out that it was rich in silicate minerals —not the kind that are seen on asteroids but those that have been found in lunar rock samples," said Teddy Kareta, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, who led the research.

"It looks like it hasn't been in space for very long, maybe just a few thousand years or so, as there's a lack of space weathering that would have caused its spectrum to redden."

A second clue came from observing how the object moves. Along with asteroids, Space Age debris, such as old rockets from historic launches, can also be found in Earth-like orbits.