Astronomers have discovered Earth’s last quasi-moon
She has land Added seventh confirmed false moon. That’s asteroid 2025 PN7, a small Apollo-type asteroid that was discovered by its brightness alone in August thanks to the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii.
After analyzing the path, scientists concluded that this object has a resonance with the Earth in a ratio of 1:1. In other words, it orbits the Sun at the same time as our planet. From a distance, this coincidence makes it look as if a small asteroid joined Earth, as if it had an extra moon.
Unlike the Moon, quasars are not bound by Earth’s gravity. They are cosmically fleeting companions following their path around the sun. Only at certain times do they get close enough to appear closed. In the case of 2025 PN7, its minimum distance is 299 thousand kilometers, while at the farthest point it can reach 17 million kilometers. For comparison, the Moon remains at an average distance of 384,000 kilometers from Earth.
According to the article published in AAS Research Notes, This asteroid has been in the quasi-space phase since 1965, and it is expected to remain in this phase for 128 years. Some researchers estimate that 2025 PN7 will finally disappear in 2083.
Why does Earth have quasoons?
So far, seven bodies have been confirmed that appear to accompany the planet in its orbit. Astronomers believe that more can be discovered in the future. Earth is a natural sub-lunar reservoir because Earth’s orbit is similar to the orbit of some nearby objects found in the so-called Arjuna group of asteroids, a group that has only recently begun to be studied in more detail.
The Arjuna Cluster does not form a ring like the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but rather consists of a cluster of rocks close to Earth that orbit the Sun on a similar path to our planet. Occasionally, some of these asteroids cross our path and are classified as quasoons or small moons depending on their orbital dynamics.
The semilunar 2025 PN7 is located not far from Earth in the Arjuna asteroid group.Photo: Simi
