Mini-Moons and Modern Beliefs: Bridging Science and Faith in Celestial Events
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Abstract
This study investigates the scientific and cultural significance of mini-moon events, focusing on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) temporarily captured by Earth's gravity. NASA's JPL Horizons system to forecast future events, such as the emergence of a 30-meter-radius mini-moon once between 2025 and 2050, to determine mini-moon paths. In addition to these scientific methods, ethnographic interviews were conducted with religious communities to understand how they interpret these rare celestial phenomena. The findings emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and cultural beliefs regarding cosmic events. Furthermore, this study explores the dynamics of NEOs captured by Earth's gravity focusing on capture probability, average capture duration, and the estimated flux of NEOs into Earth's capturable volume. A numerical simulation modeled NEOs with an initial velocity of 200 m/s and a capture distance of 1e11 meters. The results revealed a capture probability of 1.0000, indicating a high likelihood of temporary NEO captures. However, the average capture duration was calculated to be 0.00 hours, suggesting that while NEOs frequently enter Earth's gravitational sphere, they tend to escape rapidly due to external perturbations or suboptimal orbital parameters. An estimated flux of 3.1710 NEOs per year highlights the regularity of such interactions, though long-term captures, such as mini-moons, remain rare. These results offer valuable insights into gravitational dynamics, with significant implications for planetary defense, scientific exploration, and the cultural understanding of temporary natural satellites.
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