Tiny Asteroid Discovered Orbiting The Sun Alongside Earth For Decades
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, unveiling a tiny asteroid that has been orbiting the Sun in tandem with Earth for decades. Meet 2025 PN7, a minuscule space rock measuring just 19 meters across, which has been quietly accompanying our planet since 1957. This quasi-moon, as it's aptly named, doesn't truly orbit Earth, but rather the Sun, in a path eerily similar to our own.
From our vantage point, 2025 PN7 appears to loop around Earth, but its orbit is slightly askew, causing it to occasionally lag behind or lead our planet. This celestial waltz will continue for approximately 60 more years, making it a fascinating companion in our cosmic neighborhood. The discovery of 2025 PN7 is all the more remarkable given its diminutive size, which made it a challenging target to detect.
Astronomers revealed that its "visibility windows" are extremely narrow, requiring large telescopes and precise timing to spot. The Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii finally captured the quasi-moon in August 2025, but a thorough examination of archived images revealed that it had been hiding in plain sight for decades.
Astronomers have found a space rock that has been quietly hanging around Earth for decades: a tiny asteroid named 2025 PN7.Other references and insights: Check here
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