An asteroid about the size of a five-a-side football pitch passed close to Earth shortly after astronomers spotted it. Known as Asteroid 2026 JH2, it was first identified by researchers at the Mount Lemon Survey in Arizona. This near-Earth asteroid traveled through the Moon’s orbit on Monday.
The asteroid approached within 50,000 miles of Earth, equivalent to one quarter of the distance to the Moon. Estimated to be between 16 to 35 meters wide, it was too small to be visible with the naked eye but could be observed using telescopes worldwide.
Encounters like Asteroid 2026 JH2 are uncommon, with only five known asteroids expected to pass inside the Moon’s orbit in the next year. Despite being classified as a potentially hazardous object due to its size, this asteroid posed no danger of impacting Earth.
Mark Norris, a senior astronomy lecturer at the University of Lancashire, explained that while the asteroid could cause significant regional damage if it entered Earth’s atmosphere, it did not pose an immediate threat. He referenced the Chelyabinsk meteor incident in Russia in 2013 of a similar size that caused widespread damage.
Unfortunately, the asteroid was not easily visible to stargazers in the northern hemisphere as it descended into southern skies around sunset. Norris suggested that those in the southern hemisphere with telescopes had the best chance of observing the asteroid’s movement.
Asteroid 2026 JH2 is not expected to return near Earth until 2060, passing at a much greater distance, according to the European Space Agency. This asteroid resembled the size of the Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded in Earth’s atmosphere, causing window damage and injuries in Russia.
The impact was so powerful that it shattered windows and injured approximately 1,500 individuals, although no meteor fragments hit populated areas.
