An asteroid the size of one or two school buses will pass close to Earth on Monday. It will come within 91,593 kilometres (56,913 miles), which is about one-quarter of the distance to the moon. This event is significant because it gives scientists a chance to study asteroids that come near our planet.
Astronomers in Tucson, Arizona found this asteroid on May 10 and named it 2026JH2. It belongs to a group called Apollo asteroids, which can cross Earth’s orbit around the Sun. At its closest point, this asteroid will be about 24% of the average distance to the moon.
Experts say 2026JH2 is not a threat. Richard Binzel, a professor at MIT, mentioned that such close passes happen often. He said that objects similar in size pass by our planet several times each year without causing harm.
The asteroid comes from the asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. A few small asteroids often travel close to Earth due to collisions in the asteroid belt. However, 2026JH2 will not enter our atmosphere and is not expected to pose any risk.
Astronomers currently do not know its exact size, which they estimate to be between 15 and 30 meters (49 to 98 feet). It will not be visible to the human eye but can be seen with small telescopes.
