Overview
- Pan-STARRS in Hawaii first imaged 2025 PN7 on August 29, 2025, with archival data showing it has tracked near Earth since the late 1950s.
- 2025 PN7 orbits the Sun with an Earth-like period, making it appear to follow our planet, which distinguishes it from short-lived, gravitationally captured mini-moons.
- Models indicate it will remain in a quasi-satellite configuration until about 2083, never approaching closer than roughly 2.5 million miles (about 4 million kilometers).
- At an estimated 18–36 meters across, it is extremely dim and is considered the smallest and faintest quasi-moon yet identified near Earth.
- Researchers are gathering follow-up observations to determine its composition and to evaluate it as a potential low-delta-v target for future unmanned missions, similar to studies planned for Kamoʻoalewa.