NASA confirmed this week that the rock discovered by the University of Hawaii is the small asteroid 2025 PN7, which astronomers have confirmed as a quasi-moon- a rare type of celestial body that travels almost exactly in sync with Earth.
It is not a true moon, but it keeps pace with us, orbiting around the Sun in a path so similar that it appears to shadow our planet as we orbit.
Scientists estimate that it is only 18 to 36 meters wide, which is about the height of a small building.
It is small by cosmic standards, but it is consequential enough to earn its own place in Earth’s extended vicinity.
It has been observed that unlike the moon, which is held tightly by gravity, this asteroid is not gravitationally bound to Earth.
According to astronomers 2025 PN7 has supposedly been escorting Earth for around 60 years, and if its orbit holds, it will stay with us until 2083 before drifting away into open space.
It comes within 4 million kilometers at its closest approach, roughly ten times farther than the Moon.
On the contrary, it can swing out to 17 million at its farthest point. This oscillation and pull stems from the competing gravity of the Sun and surrounding planets.
The findings were difficult to analyze, but the team first spotted the object during a standard telescope survey earlier this year.
However, a faint glimmer moving against the stars turned out to be following the Earth’s consistent rate around the Sun.
Following a long monitoring process, NASA confirmed that, as the data suggested, our planet had gained a temporary travelling partner.
Astronomers have confirmed that only eight quasi-moons in total, making each one a small but a salient clue in understanding how asteroids and Earth’s gravity shape the space surrounding us.
It is quite intriguing for the scientists that these objects help enhance orbital models, improve predictions for near-Earth asteroids, and could become crucial elements for future missions.
Nonetheless, 2025 PN7 will not ever shine like the real Moon.
However, its significance lies in the fact that this silent traveler keeps pace with us, orbit after orbit, retaining significant value as an asteroid while not being a moon in the conventional sense.