{"id":482136,"date":"2026-05-13T06:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T06:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/482136\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T06:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T06:51:11","slug":"newly-discovered-asteroid-2026-jh2-to-make-very-close-flyby-of-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/482136\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly Discovered Asteroid 2026 JH2 To Make Very Close Flyby Of Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Asteroid<\/p>\n

Newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 will safely pass just 90,000 km above Earth on 18 May, offering astronomers a rare and dramatic close flyby. (Artist’s impression)<\/p>\n

getty<\/p>\n

A near-Earth asteroid will make a very close flyby of Earth on Monday, May 16, posing no danger to the planet. The asteroid, called 2026 JH2, is set to get to within just 56,000 miles (90,000 km) of Earth \u2014 around a quarter of the average Earth-moon distance.<\/p>\n

It also means 2026 JH2 will get significantly closer to Earth than some satellites orbiting Earth.<\/p>\n

What We Know About Asteroid 2026 JH2<\/strong><\/p>\n

The asteroid was recently added to the Minor Planet Center\u2019s database<\/a> after being discovered by astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Survey in Tucson, Arizona, and Farpoint Observatory in Eskridge, Kansas.<\/p>\n

Scientists have classified it as an Apollo-class near-Earth object, a category describing asteroids whose orbits cross Earth\u2019s path around the sun. 2026 JH2 appears to follow an elongated path around the sun that stretches from Earth\u2019s neighborhood toward the outer solar system, though not quite as far as Jupiter\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n

Objects like 2026 JH2 are closely monitored because their trajectories bring them relatively near Earth during parts of their orbit \u2014 though there is no chance of an impact.<\/p>\n

How Big Is Asteroid 2026 JH2?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not yet known how large 2026 JH2 is. However, based on its absolute magnitude of 26.14, estimates suggest the asteroid measures between 50 and 115 feet (15-35 meters) across, depending on how reflective its surface is. That\u2019s about the same size as the object responsible for the Chelyabinsk airburst over Russia in 2013.<\/p>\n

One reason the asteroid has generated excitement is its dramatic brightening as it approaches Earth. Observations indicate the object could brighten from magnitude 21.3 on 12 May to approximately magnitude 12.8 by 19 May, making it visible through modest amateur telescopes under dark skies.<\/p>\n

How, When And Where To See Asteroid 2026 JH2<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Virtual Telescope Project, led by astronomer Gianluca Masi, has announced plans to broadcast the flyby live from Italy beginning at 3:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 18.<\/p>\n

The livestream<\/a> will allow viewers around the world to observe the asteroid only hours before its closest approach, when it is expected to reach peak brightness.<\/p>\n

Preparing For The \u2018God Of Chaos\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Friday, April 13, 2029, near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis will make one of the closest flybys ever recorded for an object of its size, passing just 20,000 miles (32,000 km) from Earth \u2014 closer than many geosynchronous satellites. First discovered in 2004, the 1,230-foot-wide (375-meter) asteroid once raised fears of a possible Earth impact before astronomers ruled out any collision risk for at least the next century \u2014 hence its \u201cgod of chaos\u201d moniker. <\/p>\n

A rare chance for scientists to study how Earth\u2019s gravity could alter the asteroid\u2019s rotation and surface, the close encounter will see Apophis become visible from dark-sky locations such as Tenerife, Morocco and Mauritania.<\/p>\n

What Was The \u2018Tunguska Event?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Jun. 30, 1908, an asteroid about 330 feet (100 meters) in diameter entered Earth\u2019s atmosphere and exploded above Siberia in Russia. Known as the Tunguska Event, it was the largest recorded asteroid impact on Earth, destroying 770 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) of Siberian forest. The date now marks the United Nations-sanctioned \u201cAsteroid Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 will safely pass just 90,000 km above Earth on 18 May, offering astronomers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482137,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[210863,20983,7043,6599,18,19,17,20986,65097,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-482136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-2026-jh2","9":"tag-asteroid","10":"tag-comet","11":"tag-earth","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-near-earth-asteroid","16":"tag-neo","17":"tag-science"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}