NASA has confirmed that Earth has a new space companion, a tiny asteroid named 2025 PN7, which will stay near our planet for the next few decades.
While it’s not a true moon, scientists are calling it a ‘quasi-moon’ because it travels in almost the same orbit as Earth around the Sun.
What is 2025 PN7 2025 PN7 is a small asteroid, roughly 18 to 36 meters wide, about the height of a small building. Unlike the Moon, it doesn’t orbit Earth directly.
Instead, it moves around the Sun in a path very similar to Earth’s, making it appear as though it is following our planet. NASA confirmed this week that 2025 PN7 is a temporary companion, and it will likely remain near Earth until 2083 before drifting away. Scientists believe it may have been traveling alongside us since the 1960s. How does it become a temporary moon 2025 PN7 is called a temporary moon because of the way it moves: A unique cosmic neighbor Quasi-moons like 2025 PN7 are rare. They share Earth’s orbit but are not held by our gravity.
At its closest, 2025 PN7 comes about 4 million kilometers away, roughly ten times the distance of the Moon. At its farthest, it can drift up to 17 million kilometers. Why scientists are excited Although small, quasi-moons are scientifically valuable: Even though 2025 PN7 won’t outshine our Moon, it’s an interesting and rare visitor in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood. A ‘second moon’ for now While it’s fun to think of Earth having two moons, the term is a little misleading. 2025 PN7 is tiny, faint, and not visible to the naked eye.
Still, its presence reminds us that space near Earth is full of surprises, even our immediate cosmic backyard can hold mysteries. Astronomers say: Even though it’s small, 2025 PN7 offers a window into the dynamics of our solar system and nearby asteroids. For the next 60 years, Earth will have a temporary traveling companion, silently shadowing our planet as it continues its orbit around the Sun.
