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Astronomers will be looking to the sky in the early hours of Saturday morning, May 9, 2026, when the asteroid called 2026JB is expected to come within 530,000 miles of Earth. The celestial object, classified by the Minor Planet Center, is considered particularly interesting compared to five other asteroids that will pass close to Earth between May 8 and 9, but at much greater distances, from 2.5 million to 3.7 million miles.
According to initial estimates from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the asteroid is over 160 feet (49 meters) long, about the size of a typical passenger jet. Its size puts it in the so-called "city-killer" category, asteroids that could theoretically destroy an entire city if they hit Earth, although such a scenario is considered very remote.
Although the official announcement was made by NASA, the asteroid's discovery is credited to European astronomers. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), 2026JB was first identified on May 4 by the Capricornus Observatory in Csókakő, Hungary.
Just three days ago, the asteroid was spotted near the constellation Bootes, about 4 million kilometers from Earth. It is currently in the constellation Canis Reus, at a distance of about 2.3 million kilometers from our planet. The closest approach is expected in the early morning hours of May 9, when the object will pass near the constellation Lynx.
Experts stress that there is no cause for alarm, although the object has brought attention back to the issue of planetary protection. The passing distance is considered safe and the asteroid's trajectory poses no threat to Earth.
However, analyzing its motion could help improve international planetary defense strategies and minimize the risk of potential future collisions. In 2022, NASA's DART mission demonstrated that an asteroid's trajectory could be deflected through the kinetic impact technique using a space probe.
Meanwhile, ESA's Hera mission, which will reach the asteroid Dimorphos and its twin Didymos in late 2026, is continuing its planetary defense studies. The project uses advanced artificial intelligence algorithms for navigation and real-time updates on data collected from celestial objects.
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