Short Takes – 9-13-24

A New Mini-Moon Is Being Captured by Planet Earth. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “The asteroid 2024 PT5, reported this month in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, is just 33 feet long. Astronomers calculate that from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, it will loop around the planet before breaking free of its gravitational tether and flying off into space.”

NASA to develop lunar time standard for exploration initiatives. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “"If someone is orbiting the moon, an observer on Earth who isn't compensating for the effects of relativity over a day would think that the orbiting astronaut is approximately 168 football fields away from where the astronaut really is."

2024 Ig Nobel Prizes. CEN.ACS.org article. Pull quote: “University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf researchers led by Lieven A. Schenk nabbed the Medicine Prize for an experiment that involved a nasal spray containing the peppery compound capsaicin. Their work showed “that fake medicine that causes painful side-effects can be more effective than fake medicine that does not cause painful side-effects” (Brain 2024, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae132).”

Israeli Commandos Carried Out Raid on Secret Weapons Site in Syria. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “Mr. Lister said the facilities in Masyaf and in the neighboring town of Mahruseh have been central to Syria’s development of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, barrel bombs and thermobaric munitions, weapons with special explosive mixtures typically used to destroy buildings and tunnels.”