Earth has reportedly gained a second moon, a small near-Earth object designated 2025 PN7, which is now classified as a quasi-satellite.
Mini Moon Will Soon Join Planet Earth
Astronomers have made the announcement that our evergreen planet Earth has a new cosmic buddy, a tiny asteroid known as 2025 PN7, which will join our planet until approximately 2083.
Though referred to by some as a “mini-moon,” it is actually a quasi-moon, a piece of rock orbiting the Sun along a trajectory very close to Earth’s, creating the illusion of trailing our planet.
What Makes 2025 PN7 Buddy Different from Earth
With a diameter of approximately 19 meters, 2025 PN7 was initially discovered in August 2025 by a Hawaiian telescope. It probably approached Earth undetected over decades because it’s small and emits faint light.
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Unlike the Moon, it is not gravitationally bound to Earth but is weakly attached, keeping a tenuous co-orbital waltz that may continue for decades. Past temporary companions, including Kamo’oalewa and 2023 FW13, did the same thing.
Is 2025 PN7 a Threat?
Scientists emphasize that 2025 PN7 is no threat, remaining millions of kilometers off. Being close allows us to observe asteroid dynamics, orbital mechanics, and the influence of solar radiation up close.
Such objects in co-orbit are also good targets for future space explorations since they involve relatively less energy to travel to.
How 2025 PN7 Will Join Planet Earth
For the following six decades, the silent mini-moon will accompany Earth, taking laps ahead and behind in its orbital pace before slowly fading away.
Though it will never come close to our Moon in power or luminosity, 2025 PN7 reminds us that Earth’s orbital neighborhood is populated by dynamic, regularly passing small space travelers reminding us we are never alone even in the vastness of space.
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