US EditionNew 'Quasi-Moon' 2025 PN7 Discovered Orbiting Near Earth
2025 PN7, a 19-meter-wide asteroid, has orbited Earth in a unique quasi-satellite path for six decades and is expected to remain for about 60 more years, offering insights into near-Earth objects.
- Astronomers discovered asteroid 2025 PN7, a small quasi-moon orbiting near Earth, first seen on August 2, 2025, at Haleakalā Observatory in Hawaii.
- 2025 PN7 remained undetected for about 60 years due to its small size, faintness, and limited visibility until recent observations with advanced telescopes revealed its presence.
- The asteroid belongs to the Arjuna group of near-Earth objects that orbit the Sun in resonance with Earth without being gravitationally bound, appearing to loop around Earth like a second moon.
- About 30 meters across and currently the smallest-known quasi-moon near Earth, 2025 PN7 swings within 186,000 miles at closest approach and poses no impact threat.
- 2025 PN7 is expected to remain a quasi-satellite for several more decades before solar gravitational forces alter its orbit, providing astronomers insight into Earth’s near-space environment and potential exploration targets.
38 Articles
38 Articles
It is an asteroid that will accompany us for another six decades (ANSA)
The Earth apparently has a second moon for decades. But only now a telescope in Hawaii discovered the object "2025 PN7". Why the celestial body remained undetected for so long and which questions researchers now have to clarify.
Scientists find quasi-moon orbiting the Earth for the last 60 years—and it's not the first one
Everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been well-aware of the moon, but it turns out Earth also has some frequent temporary companions. These "quasi-moons" are small asteroids that enter into a kind of resonance with Earth's orbit, although they aren't technically orbiting Earth. In August, this small group of asteroids, called Arjunas, offered another companion to add to the list.
Earth Has Picked Up a New 'Quasi-Satellite' – But It Won't Be Here Long
Whenever astronomers detect something new moving through our region of space, like an interstellar object or an unusual asteroid, somebody somewhere claims it could be an alien interstellar space probe.
Astronomers detected a quasimoon near Earth—and it is likely that the small space rock has been near our planet, without being seen by telescopes, for about 60 years, according to new research.
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