Asteroid that orbits alongside Earth discovered: What are quasi-satellites
Technology
Astronomers just spotted a new space neighbor—an asteroid called 2025 PN7—that's set to orbit alongside Earth until the year 2153.
First detected by Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in August and confirmed this month, it belongs to the Arjuna class, which means its path is super similar to ours, making it look like it's "hovering" nearby (but don't worry, it's not actually stuck to us).
'Natural laboratory' for studying gravity
2025 PN7 orbits in sync with Earth but isn't held by our gravity—a setup called a quasi-satellite.
With its nearly identical orbit and close proximity, researchers say this asteroid is basically a "natural laboratory" for studying how gravity works in space.
Plus, its unique path could make it an interesting target for future exploration missions.