Asteroid 2026 JH2 to Pass 91,000 Kilometres from Earth on 18 May

A newly-discovered asteroid will make an unusually close pass of Earth on Monday evening. Asteroid 2026 JH2, discovered last week by astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, will reach its closest approach just after 10pm BST on 18 May.

It is expected to reach a minimum distance of 91,000 kilometres from Earth, less than a quarter of the distance to the Moon. At this altitude the asteroid will pass closer to Earth than some satellites, including the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Measuring up to 35 metres across, the asteroid is larger than a blue whale. It is similar in size to the Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded in the atmosphere above Russia in 2013. The shockwave from the 2013 event shattered windows across the city and injured about 1,500 people. Some fragments reached the Earth's surface, though none near populated areas.

Astronomers monitoring the asteroid say it poses no risk to Earth or the Moon. The Virtual Telescope Project will broadcast a live stream of the flyby from its observatory in Manciano, Italy, beginning at 8:45pm BST on Monday. 7 years. The European Space Agency stated that the asteroid will not pass Earth again until 2060, at a much greater distance.

At peak brightness the asteroid may be visible with binoculars for observers who know where to look in the night sky. Current weather forecasts indicate a chance of intermittent clouds over Manciano.