Read, Watch or Listen

Astronomers say asteroid 2025 PN7 has become a quasi-moon of Earth, sharing our orbit until 2083, according to a paper in IOP Science. Though it can seem to loop around us, experts stress it actually orbits the sun on a path similar to Earth’s and will later shift into a horseshoe pattern. First imaged by the Pan-STARRS telescope on Aug. 29, earlier data show it’s trailed us for decades. It’s extremely faint—magnitude 26—so no second moon will appear to the naked eye.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.