NASA confirms 'quasi-moon' could share orbit with Earth until 2083

In August 2025, NASA confirmed that a small asteroid or a "quasi-moon" called 2025 PN7 joined Earth's orbit, behaving like a second moon and is most likely to stick around until 2083.

The University of Hawaii team first spotted the object during a routine telescope survey earlier this year. 

Astronomers say 2025 PN7 has probably been tagging along for around 60 years.

Scientists estimate it’s only 18 to 36 metres wide, about the height of a small building. Tiny by cosmic standards, but significant enough to earn its own place in Earth’s extended neighbourhood.

At its closest, it comes within four million kilometres, roughly ten times farther than the Moon.

"This object, which is very, very dim, that's shown up in these scans, shows our technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years," explains Carl Lindemann, a former board member of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. "We're able to see deeper and darker inside the sky that's been there all along, but we just didn't have the capability to see.

"The moon is a significant object; this [2025 PN7] is a pebble in space, but a pebble hitting the Earth can still cause considerable damage."

To listen to Lindemann in conversation with Africa Melane on CapeTalk's Breakfast Show, click below: