Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

orleans

(37,189 posts)
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:17 PM 14 hrs ago

An asteroid discovered days ago will narrowly miss Earth (today, just before 6pm eastern time) uh-oh!

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/18/science/asteroid-earth-close-pass



An asteroid discovered days ago will narrowly miss Earth

An asteroid roughly the size of one to two school buses will fly by Earth Monday, coming as close as 91,593 kilometers (56,913 miles), according to the European Space Agency — equivalent to about one quarter of the distance between Earth and the moon.

Astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Survey in Tucson, Arizona, discovered the asteroid on May 10 and named it 2026JH2. The object belongs to a class of asteroids called Apollo, which orbit the sun on trajectories that intersect with Earth’s own orbit around the sun.

At its closest pass, 2026JH2 will be about 24% of the average distance between Earth and the moon, and about two and a half times the distance at which hundreds of geosynchronous satellites orbit, providing services such as telecommunications and weather forecasts. The close pass is expected to occur on Monday just before 6 p.m. ET, according to NASA’s JPL Small-Body Database.

more at link



28 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
An asteroid discovered days ago will narrowly miss Earth (today, just before 6pm eastern time) uh-oh! (Original Post) orleans 14 hrs ago OP
I wonder what kind of damage this asteroid would cause if it hit the Earth... wcmagumba 14 hrs ago #1
It is estimated an asteroid the size of a house (larger than this one) sarisataka 14 hrs ago #4
LOL popsdenver 12 hrs ago #13
That meteor was 6-9 miles. That's a lot bigger than 50-150 feet. EdmondDantes_ 10 hrs ago #24
Not nearly as much misanthrope 11 hrs ago #21
Yeah, about Hiroshima Metaphorical 13 hrs ago #6
it wd take out a lot of satellites, i presume. mopinko 12 hrs ago #11
Oh thank god dweller 14 hrs ago #2
Disappointed bustedbiscuits 14 hrs ago #3
Yeah, same. EuterpeThelo 11 hrs ago #22
Thanks for the heads up! Will dust off my hard hat! Attilatheblond 14 hrs ago #5
Let it go by. Norrrm 13 hrs ago #7
Damn! I was going to use that for Orrex tomorrow. no_hypocrisy 13 hrs ago #8
Don't look up! betsuni 13 hrs ago #9
I see what you did there Brother Buzz 12 hrs ago #17
Too small to see, though. MineralMan 13 hrs ago #10
Unless it's not a miss and you're in the trajectory. paleotn 12 hrs ago #18
Exactly why RoseTrellis 10 hrs ago #25
Maralago James48 12 hrs ago #12
We're all gonna die!!! Martin Eden 12 hrs ago #14
Funny thing, when you're young, you don't think much about Father Time. paleotn 12 hrs ago #16
Time, by Pink Floyd Martin Eden 10 hrs ago #23
That they do. paleotn 9 hrs ago #27
Close shave. 57K miles may seem like a lot..... paleotn 12 hrs ago #15
The skywatchers should be able... BH liberal 11 hrs ago #19
That's three minutes from now Uncle Joe 11 hrs ago #20
you're welcome. i heard joan esposito (on wcpt) mention this so i googled and found a couple articles. orleans 8 hrs ago #28
Tell Trump it is made of priceless rare minerals. Irish_Dem 10 hrs ago #26

wcmagumba

(6,632 posts)
1. I wonder what kind of damage this asteroid would cause if it hit the Earth...
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:22 PM
14 hrs ago

Of course it depends on where it would hit, it probably would take out any large city, maybe even an entire state or country...scary...

sarisataka

(22,835 posts)
4. It is estimated an asteroid the size of a house (larger than this one)
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:35 PM
14 hrs ago

would impact with the approximate force of the Hiroshima bomb ~20kt.

So this could be damaging but not apocalyptic.

popsdenver

(2,628 posts)
13. LOL
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:09 PM
12 hrs ago

That's what they told the dinosaurs.....LOL


I have often wondered this past decade, if this Republican group knows of some impending asteroid strike to planet earth, because they are all acting like there is no tomorrow, and doing whatever they please even if it is illegal, immoral, corrupt, etc...

Metaphorical

(2,660 posts)
6. Yeah, about Hiroshima
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:53 PM
13 hrs ago

However, it has a 90% chance of landing in the ocean (most likely the Pacific), and at that size will likely be an airburst. Most asteroids move along the plane of the ecliptic, putting it on an equatorial path this time of year - upper South America, the Southern Sahara, so forth as possible land targets.

Attilatheblond

(9,223 posts)
5. Thanks for the heads up! Will dust off my hard hat!
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:35 PM
14 hrs ago


One of my fav sites, SpaceWeather, has a nifty chart of known Near Earth Asteroids, by date. Yeah, sometimes the observers miss the 'sneaky ones' in time to put them up on the chart.

Near Earth Asteroids on the chart have data regarding size, velocity, distance from earth (measured in 'lunar distances' for scale) Handy source for known NEAs, but astronomers do get surprised from time to time. Also just a fun site for those who like to look up.

https://spaceweather.com/]

paleotn

(22,727 posts)
18. Unless it's not a miss and you're in the trajectory.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:47 PM
12 hrs ago

Makes you wonder how many others are out there we know nothing about. A lot of them probably. For me, every warm sunny day when nothing comes blazing out of the sky is a gift in the light of the great probability engine that is the universe.

RoseTrellis

(206 posts)
25. Exactly why
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:35 PM
10 hrs ago

Exactly why we need to colonize the moon.
Human beings need to be able to get off the earth and establish a base to avoid extinction.
It’s coming, sooner or later.

Martin Eden

(15,873 posts)
14. We're all gonna die!!!
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:33 PM
12 hrs ago

That true statement has nothing to do with any asteroid.

Plain fact of the matter is, Father Time is undefeated.

paleotn

(22,727 posts)
16. Funny thing, when you're young, you don't think much about Father Time.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:41 PM
12 hrs ago

But as you age, Ponce de León's supposed search for the fountain of youth begins to make sense.

Martin Eden

(15,873 posts)
23. Time, by Pink Floyd
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:15 PM
10 hrs ago

I've been listening to Dark Side of the Moon since 1973, and the lyrics to Time hit a lot harder now that I'm 68.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter, and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it′s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I′d something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home, cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away, across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells

paleotn

(22,727 posts)
15. Close shave. 57K miles may seem like a lot.....
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:37 PM
12 hrs ago

But when that big rock is moving at 50K to 70K mph relative to the sun, that's a bit disconcerting. A little gravitational tug here or there, even years ago, and it could be a very bad day for some people on earth. Not Chicxulub by any means but you don't want to be anywhere near the air burst or impact if parts survive entering our atmosphere. Whole lot of rocks out there. Many we know nothing about. Scary stuff

BH liberal

(160 posts)
19. The skywatchers should be able...
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:54 PM
11 hrs ago

to locate these rocks in time for everyone to set up their office pools on where it's going to hit.

orleans

(37,189 posts)
28. you're welcome. i heard joan esposito (on wcpt) mention this so i googled and found a couple articles.
Mon May 18, 2026, 09:33 PM
8 hrs ago

i think abc had an article too.

i forgot to think of this when the time came. oh well. (memory can be a fleeting thing...

Irish_Dem

(82,312 posts)
26. Tell Trump it is made of priceless rare minerals.
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:40 PM
10 hrs ago

He needs to be at the exact spot where it lands to steal it before anyone else can.

Kick in to the DU tip jar?

This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.

As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.

Tell me more...

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»An asteroid discovered da...