An asteroid discovered a few days ago will pass this Monday around 90,000 kilometers from Earth, a distance less than a quarter of the separation between the planet and the Moon. Astronomers guarantee that there is no risk of collision, but the object can be observed with amateur telescopes.
Asteroid 2026 JH2 was discovered on May 10 by the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, one of the main facilities dedicated to detecting near-Earth objects.
The closest approach to Earth is scheduled for 10:23 pm in Lisbon.
So-called NEOs, an acronym for “near-Earth objects”, are often difficult to detect due to their small size and reduced luminosity in deep space.
Is there danger for us?
Astronomers say the risk of impact is zero. Current tracking technologies make it possible to calculate the orbits of these objects with great precision, including future approaches to Earth.
Furthermore, NASA considers that Objects smaller than about 25 meters tend to partially or completely disintegrate in the Earth’s atmospheresignificantly reducing the destructive potential.
How to observe the asteroid
2026 JH2 is expected to reach a magnitude of about +11.5 during its approach to Earth, potentially becoming visible through amateur telescopes.
Applications like or allow you to locate the object in the sky, although it may be necessary to update the databases due to the recent discovery of the asteroid.
