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Small 20-Meter Asteroid 2026 JH2 to Pass Safely by Earth on May 18 at 57,000 Miles
The 66-foot asteroid, comparable in size to Chicago's Cloud Gate sculpture, will make the closest approach of any tracked near-Earth object over the next few months. It will fly four times closer to Earth than the moon. Enthusiasts can observe the event with a telescope or via a live broadcast organized by Virtual Telescope.
May 16, 5:00 AM·1m read1 source
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Asteroid 2026 JH2 will pass by Earth on May 18 at a minimum distance of about 57,000 miles. The object, about 20 meters (66 feet) in diameter and comparable in size to Chicago's Cloud Gate sculpture, will fly four times closer to Earth than the moon, which is about four times farther away.
Among tracked near-Earth objects that will pass near Earth over the next few months, asteroid 2026 JH2 will come the closest.
017 astronomical units. 3 astronomical units are considered near-Earth objects. Its passage, while noteworthy, is not rare.
In the past year, many objects have come as close to Earth as asteroid 2026 JH2 or closer. Noteworthy among these was the passage of the small asteroid 2025 TF about 260 miles from Earth's surface. There are tens of thousands of NEOs, which are generally of no particular concern.
They are monitored, and some have a small risk of impacting Earth in the next few years. According to New Scientist, 2026 JH2 is not among those with any risk, despite the widespread use of hyperbolic terms like “grazing” to describe how near it will come. Enthusiasts will be able to observe asteroid 2026 JH2 using a telescope.
A live broadcast of asteroid 2026 JH2's passage is organized by Virtual Telescope. The object is now approaching Earth, Wired reported. Its passage on Monday comes as astronomers continue routine tracking of the population of near-Earth objects that periodically draw close to the planet.
