Liputan6.com, Jakarta Astronomers recently identified a small near-Earth object called 2025 PN7, classified as a "quasi-satellite" or "quasi-moon" of Earth.
NASA has confirmed the object's existence and its unique behavior, orbiting alongside Earth in a rare cosmic dance.
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This discovery has given rise to the notion that Earth now has two moons, albeit temporarily.
Asteroid 2025 PN7 was first discovered by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii in August 2025.
It is not a true moon like our familiar Moon, but rather an object that moves nearly in sync with Earth around the Sun.
Asteroid 2025 PN7: Earth's New Companion
The discovery of asteroid 2025 PN7 in August 2025 by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii captured the astronomy world.
NASA later officially confirmed that 2025 PN7 is a "quasi-moon," a rare type of celestial companion that moves almost exactly in sync with Earth.
Analysis of archival data indicates that 2025 PN7 has likely been accompanying Earth since the 1960s, but has gone undetected.
Scientists estimate that 2025 PN7 will remain in this co-orbiting configuration until around 2083.
After that period, gravitational interactions with other celestial bodies will likely cause its orbital path to shift.
Quasi-Moons: Not True Moons?
It's important to understand that 2025 PN7 is not a true moon like Earth's natural satellites, since it is not gravitationally bound to Earth in the same way as the original moon.
Instead, a quasi-moon is a type of asteroid that orbits the Sun in a path very similar to Earth's, so from Earth's perspective, it appears as if it is orbiting our planet.
Quasi-satellites are in a 1:1 orbital resonance with a planet, allowing them to remain close to the planet for much of their orbital period.
However, quasi-satellites orbit outside the region where a planet's gravity can hold a celestial body, so their orbits are not permanently stable.
This distinguishes them from mini-moons, which are temporarily trapped by Earth's gravity before eventually escaping.
Some other known quasi-satellites of Earth include 164207 Cardea, 469219 Kamo'oalewa, and 2023 FW13.
Unique Characteristics of 2025 PN7
Asteroid 2025 PN7 is very small, with an estimated size of about 18 to 36 meters, or about 30 meters long and 19 meters wide.
This size makes it the smallest quasi-moon ever discovered in Earth's orbit.
Due to its tiny size, this object is too faint and small to be seen with the naked eye or even with a typical amateur telescope; only professional observatories can observe it.
At its closest point, 2025 PN7 passes about 299,337 kilometers from Earth, which is actually closer than the average distance of our primary Moon.
However, at its farthest point, it can drift as far as 17 million kilometers.
Despite this, this object poses no threat to Earth because its orbit maintains a safe and stable distance.
It will not affect tides, gravity, or daily life on our planet.