Shadowing Practice: Astronomers Just Found Earth's Secret Second Moon - Learn English Speaking with Video
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In 2024, Earth was joined by a mini-moon that orbited around our planet for two months.
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It hung around, made a few laps, and then, like every polite guest, it left.
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It went back to resume its trip around the Sun.
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However, astronomers now say another rock has been tagging along with Earth not for weeks, but for six decades.
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It's rare and strange, now being classified as a quasi-moon.
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But what exactly does that mean?
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Is it like a backup satellite?
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Unlike our cool and mysterious moon that illuminates our nights and affects werewolves, a quasi-moon doesn't circle Earth.
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Instead, it orbits the Sun, but it does so almost in perfect sync with us, like a runner doing a marathon with you that keeps a similar pace.
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Space only seems calm.
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It's actually pretty chaotic.
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The Sun, the Moon, Earth, and even other planets are constantly tugging on each other and smaller objects like these rocks.
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Most asteroids can't hold this delicate balance for long.
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They either get nudged into a new orbit, pulled closer to Earth, or flung out into the vast reaches of space.
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That's why we're lucky to spot more than one or two at a time.
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Most just can't keep the balance.
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They belong to a bigger family called co-orbitals.
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In fact, astronomers group them into a few types based on how they move relative to Earth.
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But unlike the real Moon, that's been our companion since the very beginning, these visitors don't stick around forever.
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Some hang with us for a few decades, others for centuries, before drifting away because of the gravity of some other space object.
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Kind of like a dog running to your neighbor after smelling bacon.
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One other thing about quasi-moons is their size.
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Most are tiny, building-sized, or even smaller.
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They're also so dim that they can hide in plain sight among stars.
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Still, they're important.
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By studying them, astronomers learn how small near-Earth objects move and how long they can stay caught in Earth's gravity.
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Quasi-moons are closer than other asteroids on the same path, and it would be easier to reach them.
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One day, they might be used as stepping stones in space exploration.
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Earth has had a few of these tagalongs before.
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One of the most famous is 2016 H03, nicknamed Earth's Constant Companion.
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It's only about 300 feet wide, but it's been keeping pace with us for nearly a century.
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Researchers say it might keep up for centuries more.
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But what about the most recently discovered one?
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The researchers named it 2025 PN7.
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Like we said, it's already been with us for 60 years and will likely stay for around 68 more.
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For a long time, it remained undiscovered because of its tiny size, only about 62 feet across, which is about the length of a bowling lane.
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This also answers the question of whether you could see it yourself if you knew where to look.
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Its backstory is a bit of a mystery.
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Astronomers haven't figured out its composition yet.
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Right now, all we know for sure is its trajectory.
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Some quasi-moons are just near-Earth asteroids that fell into a perfect orbit.
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Others seem like they could be chunks of the moon itself.
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For instance, there's another quasi-moon named Kamo'o'a Loea
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that reflects light in almost the same way as the lunar rocks we brought back during the Apollo missions.
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Because of that, some researchers think it might actually be left over from a huge impact that happened long ago.
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There's also 2024 PT5, a temporary mini-moon from the end of last year.
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Tests showed that its surface looks like lunar basalt, suggesting it probably came from the moon.
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So, how do these quasi-moons pull off their cosmic balancing act?
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That's because it's just an orbital illusion.
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Remember, PN7, like other quasi-moons, isn't actually circling our planet.
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To us, it looks like the rock is scribbling lazy loops around Earth's path, like doodles in space.
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Yet, it never lags too much or gets too far.
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Astronomers call this a one-to-one resonance.
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In plain English, it makes a lap around the sun every time Earth does.
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Another fun question.
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If these fake moons are so close to Earth, why don't we just pull them in with our gravity?
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Especially since they're tiny and seem so near.
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That's because even though they belong to a group called near-Earth objects, quasi-moons are not that close.
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Our moon is hanging out about 239,000 miles away.
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These companions, though, are flying around the sun millions of miles out, way beyond Earth's gravitational pull.
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That pull exists within an area called the hillsphere, which is where Earth's gravity is stronger than the sun's.
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Think of Earth's gravity as a bubble with a radius of about a million miles.
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Anything inside can get caught, like the real moon.
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Step outside, and the sun takes over.
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This is exactly what happened to PT5.
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which was our legit satellite for two months in 2024.
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It dipped inside the hill sphere, and Earth's gravity took over.
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Once it happened, this object became known as a mini-moon.
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But because it was small and moving fast, it eventually slipped back out of that bubble, and the Sun's gravity pulled it away again.
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One other type of co-orbiter, aside from quasi-moons and mini-moons, is the so-called horseshoe orbiters.
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These space rocks don't stray far, but from Earth's point of view, they seem to swing ahead of us, slow down, then drift back behind, and repeat.
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It's like an undercover cop tailing you in traffic, but constantly switching lanes and doubling back so you don't notice the pattern.
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If you trace their motion from Earth, over time, it forms a giant horseshoe shape, hence the name.
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And these are just the main co-orbiters.
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There are actually more.
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Way ahead of us and way behind us in space, there are a few quirky rocks called Trojans.
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They're not just following right next to Earth like quasi-moons do.
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Instead, they found two special hiding spots.
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One 60 degrees in front of us and one 60 degrees behind.
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Imagine riding your bike and having a friend way ahead of you and another one way behind.
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both keeping the same speed.
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That's what Trojans do.
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Those spots are called Lagrange points, cozy hangout regions where the gravitational pulls from Earth and the Sun balance out perfectly.
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When they find themselves in one of those areas, they could be staying there for millions of years without drifting away.
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Jupiter, for example, has tons of these freeloaders.
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Earth has only a few.
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Then there are tadpole orbiters.
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Instead of sitting perfectly still in a Lagrange point, they wobble around it in lazy, bean-shaped loops.
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And if that's not confusing and overwhelming enough, there are also jumping Trojans.
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The indecisive ones.
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These guys can't pick a side.
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They'll spend a few thousand years staying in the front hammock, then slowly drift to one behind us and back again.
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Rare, weird, and kind of awesome.
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So even though Earth only has one big moon in the sky, we've actually got a whole gang of intrusive space tagalongs.
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Some loop, some trail, some hide in the corners.
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Now let's recap the superpowers of our moon.
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It can affect tides, slow down Earth's rotation, and even help stabilize our planet's tilt.
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Without the moon, our days would be shorter, our nights darker
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and the seasons way more chaotic the moon also acts like a giant shield sweeping up
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or deflecting some space rocks that might otherwise smack into earth
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and let's not forget its cultural influence it's been inspiring myths calendars love songs
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and millions of melancholic walks in the middle of the night
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fake moons can't compete however they are important in their own
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way each new quasi moon we find helps us understand how these little rocks survive in all
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that cosmic chaos by learning about our environment we also learn something about ourselves they sharpen our detection skills
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and help us improve our models so
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while they'll never shine in the night sky they still play
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a quiet role in helping us understand our quirky cosmic neighborhood That's it for today.
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So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
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Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 110 sentences and 1415 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:21. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gravity noun | /ˈɡɹævɪti/ | Of an activity such as a ceremony, a person's conduct, etc.: the quality of being deeply serious and solemn, especially in a dignified manner; seriousness… |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| orbit noun | /ˈɔɹ.bɪt/ | An elliptical movement of an object about a celestial object or Lagrange point, especially a periodic elliptical revolution. |
| drift noun | /dɹɪft/ | Anything driven at random. |
| loop noun | /luːp/ | A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening. |
| companion noun | /kəmˈpæn.jən/ | A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| cosmic adjective | /ˈkɑz.mɪk/ | Of or from or pertaining to the cosmos or universe. |
| asteroid noun | /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/ | A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often… |
| plain noun | /pleɪn/ | An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| pace noun | /peɪs/ | A step taken with the foot. |
| satellite noun | /ˈsætəlaɪ̯t/ | A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one. |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| bubble noun | /ˈbʌbəl/ | A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| slow down verb | To decelerate. | |
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. | |
| bring back verb | /ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/ | To fetch something. |
| double back verb | To retrace one's steps; to go back where one has already gone. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| pull off verb | To remove by pulling. | |
| stick around verb | To stay; to linger; to remain. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was joined · being classified · be left |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | across, which is · hillsphere, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/, myth /mɪθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: composition /ˌkɑm.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/, shield /ˈʃild/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, shine /ʃaɪn/, rotation /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, composition /ˌkɑm.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like gravity, mini, orbit.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.