Earth's 60-Year-Old Secret Companion: A New Quasi-Moon Discovered
2025-09-22
Astronomers have discovered a near-Earth asteroid named 2025 PN7, a quasi-moon that has been orbiting Earth unnoticed for about 60 years. This roughly 30-meter-diameter space rock is smaller than any previously known quasi-moon and its orbit shifts between a near-Earth orbit and a horseshoe orbit. Researchers hypothesize it may originate from the Arjuna asteroid belt, or even be a fragment of the Moon. While in close proximity to Earth, it poses no threat and offers valuable opportunities for solar system research and testing planetary exploration technologies.
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