An asteroid approximately the size of a five-a-side football pitch made a close pass by Earth shortly after being detected by astronomers. Identified as Asteroid 2026 JH2, the object was found by researchers at the Mount Lemon Survey in Arizona just last week. It swiftly gained the classification of a near-Earth asteroid and traversed through the Moon’s orbit around our planet on Monday evening.
This asteroid approached within 50,000 miles of Earth, which is about a quarter of the distance to the Moon. Estimated to be between 16 to 35 meters wide, it was too small to be visible to the naked eye but could be observed with telescopes in different parts of the world.
Such encounters, like with asteroid 2026 JH2, are infrequent, with only five known space rocks expected to pass inside the Moon’s orbit in the upcoming year. Despite being categorized as a potentially hazardous object due to its size, this asteroid posed no threat of impact to Earth.
According to Mark Norris, a senior astronomy lecturer at the University of Lancashire, an asteroid of this magnitude entering Earth’s atmosphere could cause significant regional damage, as demonstrated by the Chelyabinsk meteor incident in Russia in 2013. Although not easily visible from the northern hemisphere, observers in the southern hemisphere with telescopes had a better opportunity to view the asteroid as it moved rapidly across the sky.
Asteroid 2026 JH2 is not projected to approach Earth until 2060, and when it does, it will be at a much greater distance, as reported by the European Space Agency. This asteroid was akin in size to the Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in shattered windows and injuries to around 1,500 individuals in Russia. Despite some meteor fragments reaching the surface, none impacted populated regions.