Recent studies by astronomers have revealed an interesting cosmic object that can be called a quasi-moon. Although this object does not orbit the Earth, it moves alongside it, following the planet in its orbit around the Sun. This finding was reported in the BBC Science Focus magazine.
Research shows that this object, named 2025 PN7, has likely existed near Earth for about six decades. Its small size may have been the reason it was not noticed before. The estimated diameter of 2025 PN7 is about 30 meters, making it the smallest known quasi-moon.
Dr. Darren Baskill, an astronomer from the University of Sussex, noted that thanks to modern technology, the discovery of near-Earth objects has become possible faster than ever. Modern digital cameras have high sensitivity, allowing for the detection of faint objects, and computational systems can process large volumes of information.
The quasi-moon 2025 PN7 is located about 300,000 kilometers from Earth, although its usual distance is about 384,000 kilometers. In its movement, it can deviate by up to 297 million kilometers, making its observation possible only during close approaches. For instance, in August 2025, a team of researchers from the Complutense University in Madrid discovered it using the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii.
The main question that interests scientists is: how did 2025 PN7 originate? At its closest approach, it comes within a distance comparable to that of the Moon, which may indicate a lunar origin. Additionally, craters can be observed on the Moon, and impacts on its surface could have created many fragments that then escaped its gravitational field.
There is another hypothesis suggesting that the object may have come from the asteroid belt. However, according to Baskill, obtaining sufficient light from a moving object to analyze its chemical composition and origin is a very challenging task. The specialist emphasized that astronomers need to be patient and wait for the right moment when the object is brightest — this occurs when it approaches Earth.
It is forecasted that the quasi-moon 2025 PN7 will remain near Earth until 2085, after which gravitational forces will alter its orbit.
