Asteroid 2026 JH2 is about to fly by Earth — relatively speaking

Look for! asteroid 2026 JH2 is now approaching Earth; The object – about 20 meters (66 ft) in diameter – is similar to Chicago’s diameter Cloud gateway Sculpture – will pass on May 18. Enthusiasts will be able to view it using a telescope or during… Organized live broadcast By virtual telescope.

The object will pass at least 57,000 miles from Earth, much closer than the Moon, which is about four times away. Among the near-Earth objects, or NEOs, that will pass by the planet over the next few months will come The closest.

There are tens of thousands of near-Earth objects, which are generally of no special interest; They are being monitored, of course, and some have a (small) risk of impacting Earth in the next few years. according to New world2026 JH2 is not among them, despite the widespread use of hyperbolic terms such as “grazing” to describe how close it is.

Apollo type Neo

Asteroid 2026 JH2 He is Technically Apollo NEO bodyaccording to A classification A system that takes into account the properties of the body’s orbit. An Apollo-type object has a semi-major axis greater than Earth’s axis (and thus greater than 1 AU, our distance from the Sun), and a perihelion (shortest distance from the Sun) of less than 1,017 AU. (All asteroids and comets with perihelion less than 1.3 AU are considered near-Earth objects.)

Its passage, though noteworthy, is not uncommon; In fact, in the past year, many things have come as close, if not closer. It is worth noting, for example, the passage of a small asteroid 2025 TF About 260 miles) from the Earth’s surface.

This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.