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An asteroid that moved closer to Earth’s orbit in recent months is now moving away from our planet as gravity pulls it back toward the sun.
最近几个月，一颗原本靠近地球轨道的小行星正在远离我们的星球，因为重力把它拉向了太阳。
The asteroid is small – about 10 meters long – and never presented any threat to Earth.
这颗小行星很小，直径大约10米，从未对地球构成任何威胁。
But the object, known as 2024 PT5, was recently pulled closer to our planet by Earth’s gravitational forces.
但是这个被称为2024 PT5的物体最近被地球的引力拉向了我们的星球。
Scientists sometimes call such objects “mini-moons.”
科学家有时称这种物体为“迷你卫星”。
This is because they behave similarly to the permanent moon orbiting Earth when they are captured by gravity.
这是因为当它们被引力捕获时，它们的行为与绕地球运行的永久月球相似。
But they are much smaller and stay only temporarily in Earth’s orbit.
但它们要小得多，只是暂时停留在地球轨道上。
The American space agency NASA said it does not consider 2024 PT5 a mini-moon because it was never expected to be fully captured by Earth’s gravity.
美国国家航空航天局表示，它认为2024 PT5并不是迷你卫星，因为它从未被地球引力完全捕获过。
But NASA has described the small asteroid as “an interesting object” that is worthy of study.
但美国宇航局称这颗小行星是“有趣的物体”，值得研究。
Such asteroids are considered near-Earth objects.
这样的小行星被认为是近地天体。
The space agency noted that similarities between the asteroid’s motion and that of Earth suggest the object could be a large piece of rock that broke off from the moon’s surface after an asteroid strike in the distant past.
美国宇航局指出，这颗小行星的运动与地球的运动相似，这表明该物体可能是在遥远的过去，小行星撞击月球后从月球表面脱落的一大块岩石。
The object was first observed on August 7 by two astronomer brothers from Spain’s Complutense University of Madrid – Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos.
8月7日，西班牙马德里康普顿斯大学的两位天文学家兄弟——Carlos de la Fuente Marcos和Raúl de la Fuente Marcos首次观测到了这个天体。
They identified the asteroid through observations made by a telescope in South Africa.
他们通过南非的一架望远镜观测确定了这颗小行星。
The Spanish astronomers said it appeared 2024 PT5 is part of a group of near-Earth objects within the Arjuna asteroid belt.
西班牙天文学家表示，2024 PT5似乎是阿尔朱纳小行星带内一组近地天体的一部分。
They wrote that asteroids in this belt are believed to be “surrounding the path followed by the Earth-moon system.”
他们写道，据信这个带中的小行星“围绕的是地月系统遵循的路径”。
The Associated Press reported the astronomers had used telescopes in the Spanish Canary Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa, to make hundreds of observations.
美联社报道称，这些天文学家在非洲西北部的西班牙加那利群岛使用望远镜进行了数百次观测。
The object is currently more than 3.5 million kilometers from Earth. Only powerful telescopes can see the asteroid because of its small size and low brightness.
该天体目前距离地球超过350万公里。只有强大的望远镜才能看到这颗小行星，因为它体积小，亮度低。
The astronomers say 2024 PT5 should head back to Earth in the coming weeks.
天文学家表示，2024 PT5将在未来几周内回到地球轨道上。
It is expected to pass as close as 1.8 million kilometers from Earth in January.
预计明年1月，它将在距离地球180万公里的地方经过地球。
The moon stays at a distance of about 384,000 kilometers from our planet, NASA explains.
美国宇航局解释说，月球与地球的距离约为38.4万公里。
The asteroid will then move farther into the solar system while orbiting the sun.
之后，这颗小行星将在绕太阳运行的同时进一步深入太阳系。
Scientists say the next time the object is expected to make another close move toward Earth is in 2055.
科学家表示，预计该物体下一次近距离靠近地球是在2055年。
Raul de la Fuente Marcos told the AP that 2024 PT5 was first identified in August and began its move toward Earth in late September.
Raul de la Fuente Marcos告诉美联社，2024 PT5于8月首次被发现，并于9月底开始向地球移动。
He said the object’s path was similar to the shape of a horseshoe.
他说，该物体的移动路径像马蹄铁一样。
De la Fuente Marcos noted that by the time the asteroid returns in January, it will be moving at more than double the speed from September.
De la Fuente Marcos指出，当这颗小行星在1月份返回时，它的移动速度将是9月份的两倍多。
Current data suggests that during its 2055 visit, it will again make a temporary and partial circle around Earth.
目前的数据表明，在2055年到访期间，它将再次暂时绕地球的某一部分旋转。
NASA said teams at its Center for Near Earth Object Studies had continually followed the movements of 2024 PT5.
美国宇航局表示，其近地天体研究中心的团队一直在跟踪2024 PT5的运动。
It is normal for NASA and its international partners to continuously search the skies for near-Earth objects.
美国宇航局及其国际合作伙伴不断在天空中搜寻近地天体，这很正常。
Such objects include asteroids and comets that come within 50 million kilometers of Earth’s orbit.
这类天体包括距离地球轨道5000万公里以内的小行星和彗星。
The search system, called ATLAS, involves four different telescopes.
这个名为ATLAS的搜索系统包括四个不同的望远镜。
Two of them are based in Hawaii. Another operates in Chile and the other sits in South Africa.
其中两个总部设在夏威夷。一个位于智利，另一个位于南非。
NASA explains that ATLAS is designed to search the whole sky several times each night looking for moving objects.
美国国家航空航天局解释说，ATLAS的设计目的是每晚对整个天空进行几次搜索，以寻找移动的物体。
The space agency says it will use its large Goldstone Solar System Radar observer – which sits in Barstow, California – to follow 2024 PT5 when it again is pulled toward Earth’s orbit in 2025.
美国宇航局表示，它将使用位于加利福尼亚州巴斯托的大型Goldstone太阳系雷达观测站，在2024 PT5于2025年再次被拉向地球轨道时跟踪它。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩报道。
