Home
Science
Science News
New 'Quasi Moon' Discovered in Earth Orbit May Have Been Hiding There for Decades

New 'Quasi-Moon' Discovered in Earth Orbit May Have Been Hiding There for Decades

Asteroid 2025 PN7 may be a faint quasi-moon trailing Earth for decades, scientists say

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 14 September 2025 19:19 IST

New 'Quasi-Moon' Discovered in Earth Orbit May Have Been Hiding There for Decades

Photo Credit: Zoonar GmbH

Asteroid 2025 PN7, a faint quasi-moon, may have followed Earth for decades undetected.

Highlights

Asteroid 2025 PN7 emerges as a faint quasi-moon trailing Earth undetected
The object may have accompanied Earth’s orbit for nearly seven decades
At just 62 feet wide, it is the smallest known quasi-satellite discovered

A dim asteroid, newly discovered as 2025 PN7, could have been tagging along after Earth in orbit for decades, scientists say. If validated, the object would become one of a handful of known “quasi-moons”—bodies that seem to circle Earth but actually orbit the sun while travelling with our planet for a time. At 62 feet wide, 2025 PN7 is smaller than the Chelyabinsk meteor and remains faintly visible – for now — only through telescopes with difficult observation windows. The find underscores the challenge of tracking dim, Earth-adjacent objects.

Astronomers Confirm Faint Asteroid 2025 PN7 as Earth's Smallest and Least Stable Quasi-Moon

According to the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (via Phys.org), the asteroid's presence was first documented in late July by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii. The quasi-moon designation was initially suggested by amateur astronomer Adrien Coffinet, who noted that orbital calculations indicated the object has been nearby for about 70 years and could remain in a quasi-satellite state for the next six decades.

2025 PN 7, the faintest and shortest-duration quasi-moon that has ever been observed, is dim just because it appears so only at times when it isn't really feeling well.

Asteroids vs Comets vs Meteors vs Meteorites: What Are They?

Quasi-moons are illuminating with respect to trajectories of bodies in orbital frames; there were 7 found and about as many not yet discovered. Additional objects could be found in the future, especially as attempts like those of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory take place.

The determination that there are real companions in our Earth's local environment is also not consistent with current expectations, which suggests that additional similar paired objects will be found in future large-area sky surveys.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.