Every time astronomers detect one thing new transferring by means of our area of house, like an interstellar object or an uncommon asteroid, anyone someplace claims it could possibly be an alien interstellar house probe. It is like a kind of legal guidelines about human behaviour—Godwin’s Legislation for instance—that ought to in all probability have its personal title.
This is applicable to the detection of 1991 VG, an asteroid with an Earth-like orbit found by the Spacewatch Undertaking in 1991. Astronomers now know that it is simply an asteroid, they usually’ve additionally discovered others prefer it. Collectively, they’re known as the Arjuna asteroids they usually’re Close to-Earth Objects (NEO). There’s greater than 100 of them they usually represent the so-called Arjuna secondary asteroid belt.
Now the Arjuna group has yet one more member: Arjuna 2025 PN7. It is discovery is offered in a brand new analysis notice in Analysis Notes of the American Astronomical Society titled “Meet Arjuna 2025 PN7, the Newest Quasi-satellite of Earth.” The authors are Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, each from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria.
When 1991 VG was found, it adopted a path similar to Earth’s and remained near it. That is what led to the ‘alien house probe’ pondering. However it was actually simply the primary member of a newly found class of objects. That solely grew to become obvious when extra have been found, and now the pure rationalization has eradicated the hypothesis.
The Arjuna asteroids are often known as quasi-satellites. That is as a result of whereas they transfer in resonance with Earth, they don’t seem to be gravitationally certain. Generally one of many Arjuna asteroids is captured by the Earth for a short time period and turns into a mini-Moon. “The Arjunas with probably the most Earth-like orbits can expertise momentary captures as mini-moons of our planet,” the authors write. That occurred with the Arjuna asteroid 2024 PT5, which was captured by Earth and posed a small menace of influence for some time.
“Quasi-satellites are in a resonant orbit however are usually not gravitationally certain to Earth, permitting for extra sustained, although unbound, proximity; whereas mini-moons are characterised by momentary gravitational captures by Earth, that means they’re gravitationally certain, albeit for a restricted time,” the authors clarify of their analysis notice.
Different present quasi-satellites embody 164207 Cardea (2004 GU9), 469219 Kamo‘oalewa (2016 HO3), 277810 (2006 FV35), 2013 LX28, 2014 OL339, and 2023 FW13. 2025 PN7 is now the most recent member of that group.
This determine exhibits the identified quasi-satellites inside the dynamic context of the Arjuna asteroid belt: Cardea (gold level), Kamo‘oalewa (pink), 277810 (orange), 2013 LX28 (yellow), 2014 OL339 (violet), 2023 FW13 (pink), and 2025 PN7 (lime). The 2 pink dashed vertical traces present the Hill radius, the area round Earth the place Earth’s gravity dominates over the Solar’s gravitational affect. Picture Credit score: Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raúl de la Fuente Marcos 2025 RNAAS
2025 PN7 can also be an Apollo asteroid, a bigger group of asteroids of which the Arjuna’s are a small subclass. A crucial distinction between them is that Arjunas do not have Earth-crossing orbits whereas the Apollos do.
The researchers say that 2025 PN7 will not be a quasi-satellite for very lengthy. “The out there information point out that 2025 PN7 is a comparatively short-lived quasi-satellite of Earth,” they write.
It will solely be a quasi-satellite for about 128 years. Finally, refined adjustments in orbital parts will imply it leaves its resonance with Earth and can like comply with a Trojan orbit or horseshoe orbit.
