An Asteroid Will Make A Close Pass By Earth Today — Here's What You Need To Know
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science/space

It's about the size of a whale, and it'll be closer to the Earth than the moon.

Sean Breslin
BySean Breslin
4 hours agoUpdated: May 18, 2026, 9:37 am EDTPublished: May 18, 2026, 8:20 am EDT

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Break out the telescopes (or fire up the live stream), because there's an asteroid passing Earth on Monday.

But don't panic — the so-called 2026 JH2 isn't going to be close enough to threaten striking our planet. According to space.com, it'll be about 24% of the average distance from the Earth to the moon, which is certainly close enough to garner extra attention from scientists.

(MORE: Stunning Images From ISS Astronauts)

It's also close enough that you might be able to see it, so here's what you need to know:

  • The closest pass of this asteroid will occur at 5:23 p.m. EDT on Monday, and a strong telescope should be able to spot it.
  • It's unclear just how big 2026 JH2 actually is, but estimates suggest it could be as large as 115 feet across, or about the size of a blue whale, according to Live Science.
  • You can watch a live stream of the asteroid's approach starting at 3:45 p.m. EDT on the Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube page.
  • If you intend to try to spot the asteroid with a telescope, never point a telescope toward the sun.
  • 2026 JH2 won't come back around to pass by Earth again until 2060, when it'll be 17 times farther from us than the average distance of the moon, Space.com also reported.

Will you be watching today's close approach, either through the lens of a telescope or on the live stream? Let us know in the comments below.

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