Astronomers discover new asteroid that orbits the Sun like Earth
Astronomers using the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii have spotted a new asteroid, 2025 PN7.
Discovered in August 2025, it's about the size of a school bus (18-36 meters across) and orbits the Sun on a path very similar to Earth's.
Asteroid has been following Earth for at least 60 years
2025 PN7 is what scientists call a "quasi-satellite"—it travels around the Sun at almost exactly Earth's speed, kind of like running laps side-by-side.
It's been following us for at least 60 years and should stick around for another century or so.
At its closest, it comes within about 299,000km of Earth, but it's so faint you'd need a big telescope to spot it.
Helps scientists understand near-Earth objects' movement
Finding asteroids like this helps scientists understand how near-Earth objects move and interact with our planet's gravity.
Even though 2025 PN7 never gets dangerously close, discoveries like this give us a better picture of what shares our cosmic neighborhood.