What is Venus' quasi-moon Zoozve?

Quasi-moons like this had been predicted, but none had been discovered until Skiff spotted and tracked Zoozve in 2002. Since then, a quasi-moon of Neptune has been discovered, as well as seven quasi-moons of Earth.

Because Zoozve crosses Earth’s orbital path, it’s also considered a near-Earth asteroid. This designation, combined with the asteroid’s diameter of about 230 meters (750 feet), means Zoozve is considered a potentially hazardous object, although it is not predicted to impact the Earth.

The name Zoozve is not at all typical for planetary bodies. The International Astronomical Union, which is responsible for approving names for celestial objects, prefers names of mythological origin for objects like Zoozve that cross Earth’s orbit. The name was proposed by Latif Nasser, co-host of the science podcast Radiolab, who got in touch with Skiff after seeing a children’s poster of the Solar System that showed a moon alongside Venus with the name “ZOOZVE” alongside it.