The asteroid named 2026 JH2 will pass at a distance of 91,135 kilometers from Earth tonight at 11:08 PM, roughly 24 percent of the distance between Earth and the Moon. The asteroid is estimated to be between 16 and 35 meters long, a size similar to that of an adult blue whale. The Virtual Telescope Project has arranged a live broadcast of this event on YouTube at 1:30 AM Tuesday morning. May 18, Kathmandu.
This new asteroid, comparable in size to an adult blue whale, will pass only 24 percent of the average Earth-Moon distance between Earth and the Moon this Monday. For space enthusiasts, this rare astronomical event will be accessible live from home through the Virtual Telescope Project’s YouTube live stream. The near-Earth asteroid named 2026 JH2 was discovered on May 10 by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, USA.
According to the European Space Agency, initial studies based on its brightness estimate the asteroid’s length to be between 52 and 114 feet (16 to 35 meters), matching the size of an adult blue whale. The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 11:08 PM Nepal time (21:23 GMT) tonight Monday. At that moment, it will be traveling at a rapid speed of 31,248 kilometers per hour relative to Earth and will cross a distance of 91,135 kilometers from our planet, significantly closer than the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Weather permitting, the Virtual Telescope Project’s free YouTube live stream will begin at 1:30 AM Nepal time Tuesday (19:45 GMT). Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, informed Space.com that during observation, the asteroid will appear to move swiftly against the backdrop of stars. Advanced telescopes located in Monsiano, Italy, will track its closest distance and peak brightness of 11.5 magnitude up close.
While following the asteroid, stars in the background are expected to look like long streaks, while the asteroid itself will appear as a bright point moving across the field. Scientists have confirmed that there is no risk to Earth or the Moon from asteroid 2026 JH2 during this close pass. After moving away from Earth’s vicinity, the asteroid will embark on an elliptical orbit lasting about 3.8 years, which will bring it close to Jupiter’s orbit before returning toward the Sun. It is expected to return near Earth only in the year 2060, at which time it will be 17 times farther from Earth than the distance to the Moon.
