A newly discovered asteroid, getting closer to Earth by the day, will soon fly past our planet. Asteroid 2026 JH2, only just spotted for the first time on May 10, 2026, is already on track to pass Earth on Monday, May 18, 2026. The asteroid will reach within a little over 90,000 km (56,000 miles) from Earth, closer than most asteroids that sail near Earth.
While the upcoming flyby of 2026 JH2 may seem a little close for comfort, astronomers have confirmed that it won’t hit Earth. Those who want to catch the close approach in action will be able to watch 2026 JH2 in the sky with amateur telescopes on Monday.
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A Close Approach by Asteroid 2026 JH2
Asteroid 2026 JH2 was initially observed by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, which uses a 60-inch telescope to detect near-Earth objects like comets and asteroids. Further monitoring from other observatories in the U.S. determined the asteroid’s orbit, and 2026 JH2 would soon be classified as an Apollo asteroid on May 12, 2026 (Apollo asteroids are defined as objects that cross Earth’s orbit).
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimates that 2026 JH2 is somewhere between 15 meters and 35 meters (50 feet and 115 feet) wide; the higher limit of this estimate would be roughly equivalent to one-third the full length of an American football field.
At around 21:23 UTC (4:23 EST) on Monday, May 18, 2026, JH2 will pass by Earth; about three hours before this, it will have also passed by the moon.
When 2026 JH2 passes by Earth, it won’t be visible to the naked eye; however, 2026 JH2 will get brighter as it approaches Earth and eventually reach a magnitude of +11.5, which means it will be possible to see the asteroid through a small telescope. According to The Sky Live, the asteroid will be located near the constellation Ursa Major up until May 17, 2026, and when it makes its flyby on May 18, 2026, it will be located near the constellation Leo.
Tracking Near-Earth Objects
While 2026 JH2 isn’t a threat to Earth, it will come closer to Earth than most near-Earth objects. The asteroid’s distance from Earth during its flyby on May 18 — 90,000 km (56,000 miles) — is almost a quarter of the distance between Earth and the moon.
Asteroid flybys are common, but the majority of these objects are hundreds of thousands to millions of miles away from our planet, constantly being monitored by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
In the days leading up to 2026 JH2’s flyby, multiple other asteroids will make close approaches to Earth; close, however, might not seem like the most fitting word when looking at some of the asteroids’ distances. For example, on May 15, 2026, an airplane-sized asteroid named 2026 JH1 will pass 3,680,000 miles from Earth, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Watching for Danger
What would happen if an asteroid like 2026 JH2 entered Earth’s atmosphere? If it’s on the smaller side, there’s a good chance that it may just burn up; according to NASA, space rocks smaller than about 25 meters (about 82 feet) usually burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere and cause little to no damage.
Asteroids of this size aren’t always harmless, though. In 2013, an asteroid that was about 20 meters (66 feet, roughly the size of a six-story building) exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia, resulting in one of the largest meteors to be detected breaking up in Earth’s atmosphere in more than 100 years, according to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The Chelyabinsk meteor didn’t kill anyone, but the shockwave it created upon exploding managed to injure around 1,500 people, largely from broken glass, according to NASA.
The Chelyabinsk meteor crisis won’t be replicated by 2026 JH2, but regardless, it shows the importance of always keeping an eye on asteroids in case things get a little too close for comfort.
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Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article includes information from The Sky Live: NEO Asteroid 2026 JH2
- This article includes information from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Next Five Asteroid Approaches
- This article includes information from NASA: Asteroid Fast Facts
- This article includes information from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: High-fidelity simulation offers insight into 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor
- This article includes information from NASA: Five Years after the Chelyabinsk Meteor: NASA Leads Efforts in Planetary Defense
