Earth is the onyl habitable planet of the solar system, as far as it is indeed known. But that does not mean that we do not receive visitors – usually in the form of asteroids (most harmless). Some of these celestial bodies even remain temporarily here, acquiring a status similar to that of the moon.

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The latest of these objects is the 2025 PN7 asteroid. Spotted this summer in the northern hemisphere, it has a trajectory close to that of the earth around the sun. It’s like a car traveling in the same track as our planet. This type of celestial body is called quasi-moon. Of the few acquaintances, this can be the smallest so far, with an estimated size of up to 16 meters – less than the length of a bowling track.

Uncertain Origin and Temporary Presence

“For now, we can only speculate,” – Carlos de La Fuente Marcos on the origin of 2025 PN7.

Some asteroids approaching the earth come from the main belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Others are fragments of the moon, ejected after impacts of meteorites. In the case of 2025 PN7, as telescopic observations are still scarce, there are no concrete clues about their origin. “For now, we can only speculate,” explained astronomer Carlos de La Fuente Marcos, from the Complutense University of Madrid, author of study on the object published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.

what is already known is that asteroid is not a permanent guest. It is part of a small group of space rocks that orbiting close to Earth for a time, following or leading the planet around it. just like the others, at some point it will be expelled from this position – possibly in about 60 years.

The land has already received several mini and quasi mini. The first directly orbit our planet, but usually for a short time – a few months only. This was the case of 2024 PT5,which joined the earth in the last fall and left in November. The near-unlocked, in turn, revolve around the sun and remain in sync with the earth’s orbit for centuries or even millennia, which makes them engaging candidates for space missions. One of them, Kamoʻoalewa, will be the target of the Chinese Mission Tianwen-2, which aims to collect samples for study on Earth.

Discovery and Future of the alive Lua

The 2025 PN7 was detected on August 2 with the Pan-Star Observatory of the University of Hawaii. Then astronomers located the object in file images from previous years, which allowed to calculate its orbit accurately. It is estimated that he assumed the almost mooned position in 1957-coinciding with the launch of Sputnik 1, the Earth’s first artificial satellite.

In August 1980, the asteroid reached only 4 million kilometers from Earth, about ten times the distance to the moon. At its farthest point, it could reach 17 million kilometers.simulations indicate that it will remain close to the earth for 126 years, but will leave this orbit in 2083.

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There is still no consensus on its exact size. The measurement is made from the amount of light reflected on its surface, but, as the 2025 PN7 is tough to observe, the value may vary. “We cannot determine its actual size accurately,” said by La Fuente Marcos. The estimate ranges from 16 to 49 meters long.New observations will help to confirm whether the asteroid is indeed the smallest near it ever recorded.

For the scientific community, the discovery is encouraging. Asteroids near Earth – when they offer no risk of collision – help to understand the evolution of the internal solar system. “It’s even more engaging when they are close to Earth for a long time,” said Federica Spoto,a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics,who did not participate in the study.