Earth's new quasilunar moon

Earth just picked up a new 'quasi-moon'—but it’s not what you think.Picture this: a tiny asteroid, 2025 PN7, is now looping through space right alongside us, but it’s not really orbiting Earth.Instead, it’s locked in a cosmic dance, circling the Sun in perfect sync with our planet.From far away, it looks like Earth has a secret sidekick, but in reality, these quasi-moons are just passing companions, not true moons.2025 PN7 was spotted in August 2025 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii, thanks to its sharp eye and a camera packing 1.4 billion pixels.Scientists crunched the numbers and realized this little rock has been tagging along since 1965 and will stick with us until 2083—over a century of cosmic company!Why do astronomers care?Quasi-moons like this help us unlock the mysteries of near-Earth asteroids and the wild orbital dynamics of our solar system.Here’s a fun twist: at its closest, 2025 PN7 is about 299,000 kilometers away—closer than some satellites, but it can drift as far as 17 million kilometers!So, next time you look up, remember: Earth’s got more than one moon—sort of.Want more space oddities?Hit follow and keep exploring the weird side of our universe!

Earth just gained a new “quasi-moon” — the tiny asteroid 2025 PN7! 🌍☄️ Discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii, this space rock has been orbiting the Sun alongside Earth since 1965 and will stick around until 2083. Learn how scientists track these mysterious near-Earth asteroids, what makes them different from real moons, and why they’re key to understanding our solar system’s cosmic dance. 🚀