Asteroid 2026 JH2 to Pass Within 56,000 Miles of Earth on May 18

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2026 JH2 is set to pass within 56,000 miles of Earth on May 18, according to tracking data. That distance is approximately one quarter of the average gap between Earth and the moon. Astronomers said the flyby represents one of the closest known approaches of an object this size without striking the planet.

The asteroid measures an estimated 52 to 115 feet in diameter and is traveling at just over 5 miles per second relative to Earth. Its size range is comparable to the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. That event, which occurred less than 19 miles above the surface, produced an airburst with force about 30 times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb and injured more than 1,500 people.

Simulations show no possibility of impact from 2026 JH2. The object was identified only days before its close approach by observation teams at the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, Farpoint Observatory in Kansas, and Magdalena Ridge Observatory in New Mexico.

Researchers view the passage as an opportunity to study a near-Earth object at close range. One astrophysicist told New Scientist the distance is "as close as you can get without hitting" in astronomical terms. The asteroid is the ninth-closest known flyby within one lunar distance recorded this year.

Near-Earth objects of this scale often remain undetected until shortly before passing because they are small and difficult to spot against the background of space. In total, 73 known asteroids are projected to pass within one lunar distance of Earth during 2026.

Some amateur observers may be able to view the asteroid with high-powered binoculars or small telescopes when it is near the constellations Ursa Major and Leo. The object is expected to be too faint for naked-eye observation. m. local time on May 18.