![\"Biggest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/asteroid-threats.jpg\")
Credit: SciePro \/ Getty Images<\/p>\nAn asteroid about as big as a basketball court is due to swing close to Earth this Monday, and will pass well within the orbit of the Moon.<\/p>\n
While astronomers say there’s no danger it will hit Earth, 2026 JH2 is classed as a Near Earth Asteroid, and should be observable in the night sky using a small telescope.<\/p>\n
Here’s what we know so far.<\/p>\n
More amazing Chandra observations<\/p>\n
Credit: SciePro \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
The discovery of 2026 JH2<\/p>\n
Asteroid 2026 JH2 is set to zip past our planet on Monday 18 May 2026 at a very close distance, by astronomical standards. <\/p>\n
It was first spotted on 10 May 2026 by the Mt. Lemmon Survey in Arizona, USA, which is a key science facility for discovering asteroids wandering close to Earth.<\/p>\n
Because they’re relatively small and hard to detect against the darkness of deep space, Near-Earth Objects \u2013\u00a0known as NEOs \u2013 often remain hidden until they’re right on our cosmic doorstep.<\/p>\n
The Small-Body Database led by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a> suggests 2026 JH2 measures somewhere between 16\u201335 metres (50\u2013115 feet) wide.<\/p>\n For comparison, the Chelyabinsk meteor<\/a> that entered the atmosphere over Russia in 2013 was about 20 metres (65 feet) wide.<\/p>\n Asteroid 2026 JH2’s closest approach to Earth is expected at 21:23 UTC on 18 May 2026, when it will pass by at a distance of 90,000km (56,000 miles).<\/p>\n That may sound incredibly far away \u2013\u00a0and it is \u2013 but to put it into perspective, the average distance between Earth and the Moon is 385,000km (239,000 miles)<\/p>\n That means asteroid 2026 JH2 will pass Earth at just under a quarter of the distance between Earth and the Moon.<\/p>\n But while it will pass by our planet well within the Moon’s orbit, it will still be beyond the orbit of geostationary satellites.<\/p>\n More data on 2026 JH2 can be found via the Minor Planet Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a word, no. The idea of an asteroid flying by Earth and coming much closer than the orbital path of the Moon may sound alarming, but astronomers have said there is zero risk of impact.<\/p>\n The technology currently available to asteroid-trackers is highly advanced and enables astronomers to predict the orbits of space rocks to a high degree of accuracy, even years into the future.<\/p>\n And even if 2026 JH2 did manage to collide with Earth, it’s likely any potential damage would be severely negated by the asteroid burning up as it entered Earth’s atmosphere.<\/p>\n NASA says space rocks smaller than about 25m (82 feet) would most likely burn up and cause little or no damage.<\/p>\n Observing 2026 JH2<\/p>\n 2026 JH2 is visible now in the southern sky after sunset, close to the constellations Ursa Major and Leo, but it will be trickier to see from some locations than others.<\/p>\n A good stargazing app<\/a> should help you pinpoint it from your location, but you may need to update the software’s database to include 2026 JH2, given it’s a newly-discovered object.<\/p>\n![\"2013:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chelyabinsk-GettyImages-645693013-05153ca-e1654629319232.jpg\")
The Chelyabinsk meteorite left a smoke trail in its explosive wake. Photo by Elizaveta Becker\/ullstein bild via Getty Images
\nHow close will it come?<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/asteroid-2026-JH2-orbit.jpg\")
Illustration showing the orbit of asteroid 2026 JH2 (grey) relative to Earth’s orbit (light blue). Credit: NASA\/JPL
\nIs 2026 JH2 dangerous?<\/p>\n