Asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1 Passes Earth at 2.56 Million Kilometers

Asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1 will pass within 2,560,000 kilometers of Earth at 1114 GMT on Saturday, June 24, 2026, the European Space Agency said. The distance equals more than six times the average separation between Earth and the Moon. The asteroid travels at nearly nine kilometers per second.

Le Monde reported that any possibility of impact has been ruled out. Discovered in 1997, the object measures between 750 and 1,650 meters across according to sunlight-reflection estimates, though some calculations indicate a smaller size. Juan Luis Cano of the ESA's Planetary Defence Office said a close approach by an asteroid of this size occurs only every few years.

He added that the bright Moon near the asteroid's path may reduce visibility at closest approach. Observers with small telescopes or large binoculars can see the asteroid in parts of the Northern Hemisphere as it nears Earth, across most regions while it passes, and from the Southern Hemisphere as it recedes. Visibility requires sufficiently dark skies.