Scientific American-Today in Science

"Earth is getting a new mini-moon on Sunday."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 27 September 2024, 2003 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).

 

September 27, 2024: We’re covering a mini moon’s arrival, irrational thinking about rare diseases, and our science fiction faves.  —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor

TOP STORIES

New Mini Moon Around 4pm Eastern on Sunday, September 29, a tiny asteroid will enter orbit around Earth, yielding a temporary “mini moon” to accompany our glorious long-term satellite, aka “the moon,” reports Scientific American editor Lee Billings. The 10-meter-wide object, 2024 PT5, is an ordinary space rock from the “Arjuna” family of asteroids that flit around the sun at the same orbital distance as Earth. The mini moon won’t complete a full orbit around Earth and can only be seen with a telescope at least 30 inches in diameters, but it’s still sensational.  Why this is cool: The incoming object was reported late this summer by Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, astronomers and brothers. They noted that four other mini moons have been reported by researchers, two of which were also “flyby” moons that didn’t complete a full orbit around Earth. Such flyby moons likely occur several times a decade, but most have gone undetected, Billings writes. It’s now thought that 2024 PT5 was a mini moon in 1960 and that it will return again in 2055.  What the experts say: Mini moons are attractive targets for exploratory space missions, Billings writes. He adds: “Perhaps someday 2024 PT5 or one of its fellow mini-moon interlopers will be able to be seen by everyone up close, via images beamed back by a visiting spacecraft.”

An artist’s concept of a small asteroid in deep space. When such objects approach within a few million kilometers of Earth moving at sufficiently slow speed with respect to our planet, they can be captured as satellites. NASA/JPL-Caltech

What’s in Floodwaters? Hurricane Helene raced up the southern Appalachian region of the U.S. last night and today, resulting in floods in Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Lake Lure Dam in North Carolina, among other regions. Beyond the property damage that floods cause, the debris, potential sewage and microbial material caught up in floodwaters can pose health risks, reports Scientific American senior science writer Meghan Bartels in a story she updated for Helene. Contents can include bacteria, viruses, and downed power lines that can electrify floodwaters, as well as snakes, rats, alligators and “floating masses” of stinging fire ants, Bartels reports. Overwhelmed sewers can pollute floodwaters, which also might carry motor oil, cleaning chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, tree limbs, property wreckage, and "flesh-eating,"  "wound-infecting" Vibrio bacteria, among many other concerning materials. Why it matters: As climate change progresses, floods are becoming more frequent, bringing the planet’s life into more frequent and longer-lasting contact with more toxic floodwaters, posing health risks. What the experts say: “Floodwaters can appear somewhat clear of debris, but some of the pathogens and chemicals they carry are tiny or invisible. “The problems are things that, many of them, you don’t see,” says Henry Briceño, a geologist who studies water. Watch: This TikTok by Scientific American editorial folks also explains the health risks posed by floodwaters.

TODAY'S NEWS

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EXPERT PERSPECTIVES

• People’s perceptions of rare medical risks can be influenced by whether or not they’ve experienced such a condition, writes Scientific American graphics editor Amanda Montañez, who had to weigh how to respond to a positive test for a rare, risky liver condition during a pregnancy. Rare diseases are defined as those that affect less than 1 percent of the population. But collectively, about one in 10 Americans has any rare disease, about 30 million people in total, as the graphic below illustrates. “Rare diseases as a group, it turns out, are not rare at all,” Montañez writes. | 5 min read

Amanda Montañez; Source: National Organization for Rare Disorders

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PLAY NOW

• Do you know the answer to the first question of today's science quiz? Also, don't miss today's Spellements, and if you spot any science words that are missing from the puzzle, email them to games@sciam.com. In recent days, readers Leo, Seren of New York City, Sherrie of St. Louis, MO, and Annette of Canberra, all found vagal. And Bill of Acton, MA., found ceil, relict, recycler, reticle and tierce. Nice work, everyone.

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