Earth has had a quasi-moon hidden for 60 years, researchers uncover

Researchers from Spain have found a sort of second moon orbiting round Earth. Often called Apollo asteroid 2025 PN7, it was detected by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii on August 2nd, 2025. In line with present calculations, it has been accompanying the Earth because the Nineteen Sixties—and it’s anticipated to remain that method for the subsequent 60 years.

Nonetheless, it should be stated that 2025 PN7 isn’t an actual moon however somewhat one thing known as a quasi-moon. A quasi-moon is an asteroid that orbits across the solar however in such a method that it appears like it’s orbiting round a planet from the attitude of that planet. On this case, 2025 PN7 appears prefer it’s orbiting Earth however isn’t sure by Earth’s gravitational pull.

2025 PN7’s conduct is according to these within the Arjuna asteroid belt, that are a bunch of near-Earth asteroids with Earth-like orbits, making it an Arjuna asteroid. (Arjuna asteroids are a subgroup of Apollo asteroids.) The primary such asteroid was found as early as December 1991 by the Spacewatch Venture, which was initially considered an interstellar area probe. Scientists are actually conscious of over 100 such asteroids.

Why did it take so lengthy for the quasi-moon 2025 PN7 to be found?

2025 PN7 could be very small with a diameter round 15 to 30 meters and a distance to Earth of round 384,000 kilometers (typically whilst shut as 300,000 kilometers relying on the orbit). This corresponds roughly to the space of our personal moon, besides a lot smaller in dimension.

As well as, the asteroid is faint and may solely be detected with present telescopes when it comes near the Earth. (Funnily sufficient, the researchers have additionally noticed 2025 PN7 in beforehand archived photos going again to 2014.) 2025 PN7 poses no hazard to Earth.