For several decades, a small rocky object has silently accompanied the Earth on its journey around the Sun with hardly anyone noticing it. Now, astronomers have confirmed that this celestial body, an asteroid with a very particular orbit, will remain near our planet until the year 2083.
NASA explains that this is a real phenomenon, although it clarifies that this does not mean the existence of a new moon as such.
It’s not a satellite, it’s a quasi-moon
The protagonist is asteroid 2025 PN7, a small rocky body discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope at the Haleakalā Observatory in Hawaii. Its peculiarity is not only its size, which is barely between 18 and 36 meters in diameter, but also its trajectory. Its orbit around the Sun is so synchronized with that of the Earth that, seen from our planet, it appears to accompany us constantly in space.
Astronomers explain that 2025 PN7 is not a natural satellite like the Moon. It is a so-called quasi-satellite body. These, as specialists explain, “do not rotate around the Earth. They rotate around the Sun.” This difference, which may seem subtle, is key from a scientific point of view and explains why talking about a second moon is, technically, incorrect.
Still, from Earth’s perspective, the asteroid appears to move back and forth across the sky in a pattern that gives the impression that it is gravitationally bound to our planet. This optical and orbital illusion is what has fueled the idea of a “cosmic companion” that travels alongside the Earth on its journey around the Sun.
Models and orbital observations indicate that this accompaniment is not temporary. Calculations indicate that 2025 PN7 has been like this for decades and that it will continue in this way until approximately the year 2083, at which time small gravitational perturbations will modify its trajectory and progressively move it further away from the Earth’s vicinity.
There is no risk of impact with Earth
NASA insists that the phenomenon does not pose any danger. The asteroid is millions of kilometers away and there is no risk of impact or alteration to the Earth’s atmosphere. Furthermore, it is not a unique case: other near-Earth objects have followed similar trajectories for shorter periods.
For science, these quasi-satellites are especially valuable. They make it possible to study complex orbital dynamics, better understand the Earth’s immediate environment and analyze possible scenarios for future space missions. There is no new moon illuminating our nights, but there is a small companion that, for a few more decades, will continue traveling with us through space around the Sun.
