Earth Reveals a New "Hidden Moon" It’s Been Following for Six Decades

In a thrilling astronomical surprise, astronomers have announced the discovery of a new celestial body named 2025 PN7, a small asteroid 19 meters wide that has been following Earth on its journey around the Sun since the 1960s. This remarkable discovery comes after the Moon has been Earth's only known celestial companion for 4.5 billion years.

The new asteroid was spotted by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii and has been classified as a "quasi-moon" of Earth. However, it does not actually orbit our planet due to its gravity but rather follows it in an orbit nearly synchronized with Earth's orbit around the Sun. Data suggests the asteroid will continue to accompany Earth for another sixty years before changing its course.

Characteristics of the "Elusive Companion"

The asteroid 2025 PN7 is the latest addition to a list of six other known "quasi-moons" of Earth, but it holds the title of the "smallest and least stable" one yet. Unlike the Moon, this asteroid is very faint and cannot be seen with the naked eye; it requires powerful telescopes for observation.

This asteroid belongs to a special class of celestial objects known as Arjunas, which are asteroids that move in harmony with Earth's journey around the Sun. The new asteroid travels within a wide range of distances from our planet, from 4.5 million kilometers to 59 million kilometers, explaining why it has been so difficult to detect for so long. While its continuous presence for six decades is a relatively long period, it is short compared to the famous quasi-moon Kamoʻoalewa, which has accompanied Earth for about 381 years.

Future Prospects and Upcoming Discoveries

Scientists believe that the recent launch of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile may open the door to discovering more of these hidden objects in the future. The findings of this latest discovery have been published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS.

In addition to these "quasi-moons," Earth may occasionally receive other visitors known as "minimoons," which are objects that orbit our planet for a limited time and then leave its orbit. To date, only four such objects have been discovered, and none of them have remained in orbit.