Mini Moon & Quasi moon
Why in news?
A new quasi-moon of Earth, asteroid 2025 PN7, was first detected in August 2025 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope and confirmed in September 2025.
Quasi Moon
- Quasi moons are not true moons; they orbit the Sun but have an orbit similar to Earth's, appearing to move alongside Earth in a "quasi-satellite" configuration.
- Unlike mini moons, quasi moons are more stable companions and can stay near Earth for decades or centuries.
- They do not orbit Earth but remain close to it in a synchronized solar orbit, making them appear from Earth to orbit it.
- Quasi moons are considered a form of co-orbital companion to Earth but do not have the gravitational bond of a true satellite.
Mini Moon
- Mini moons are small asteroids that fall into Earth's gravitational influence and orbit Earth temporarily.
- These moons are usually only a few meters in size and remain captured for a few months or less.
- They orbit Earth for at least a part of their trajectory before escaping back to orbit the Sun.
- An example is asteroid 2024 PT5, which orbited Earth briefly in 2024 for about two months.
- Mini moons can be considered "temporary natural satellites" and are relatively common but hard to detect due to their size and faintness.
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