Newly Discovered Asteroid to Make Close Pass by Earth
Astronomers say the bus-sized object was found days before closest approach and will pass inside the Moon’s orbit with no impact risk.
- On Monday, May 18, 2026, newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 will safely pass Earth at approximately 90,000 km, well inside the Moon's orbit, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirming the Apollo-class object poses no impact risk.
- First identified on May 10 by astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona and the Farpoint Observatory in Kansas, the object measures between 50 and 115 feet across, though exact dimensions remain uncertain without radar data.
- Planetary science professor Jean-Luc Margot at UCLA noted that astronomers have observed only about 1% of near-Earth asteroids in this size range, explaining why detection often occurs just days before a close approach.
- The Virtual Telescope Project, led by astronomer Gianluca Masi, plans a livestream starting at 3:45 p.m. EDT to capture the event; observers with amateur telescopes may spot the asteroid under dark skies, though it remains faint.
- If 2026 JH2 struck Earth, its impact would compare to the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor, which injured over 1,500 people; yet NASA officials note that while DART proved deflection is possible, humanity lacks a ready-to-launch defense system.
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estrepublicain.frScientists only discovered it on May 10: the asteroid "2026 JH2" will be approaching the Earth this Monday night, and it will be visible with binoculars.
Giant Asteroid 2026 JH2 To Fly Past Earth On Monday – Closer Than The Moon, No Impact Risk
A recently spotted asteroid is set to pass close to Earth on May 18, but astronomers say there is no danger of impact. The space rock, designated 2026 JH2, will travel within roughly 56,000 miles of the planet, a distance well inside the moon’s orbit but about double the altitude of GPS satellites, according to information provided by the Catalina Sky Survey. The moon sits about 228,855 miles from Earth, per NASA. “This is much closer than the m…
An asteroid roughly the size of one or two school buses will pass close to Earth this Monday, approaching to within 91,593 kilometers, according to the European Space Agency, which is almost a quarter…
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