Earth's Quasi-Moon to Persist for Centuries.

Astronomers have discovered an asteroid, 2023 FW13, that orbits the sun in a similar time frame as the Earth does, making it a "quasi-moon" or "quasi-satellite." Despite hovering relatively close to our planet, this asteroid is unlikely to be on a collision course with the Earth. It has been our planet's cosmic companion since at least 100 BCE and will most likely continue to follow the Earth in its orbit around the sun until around 3,700 CE. Astronomical objects such as this one could act as "stepping stones" to Mars, meaning that they could soon be accessed by spacecraft due to their relative low velocity caused by their near-match to the Earth's orbit.