An asteroid the size of a professional basketball court is going to zip past Earth tonight, approaching our planet at a distance much closer than the Moon.
While asteroid 2026 JH2 will technically be visible through small telescopes to Northern Hemisphere viewers in the early evening of 18 May 2026, it will be tricky to see because it will be low in the sky after sunset.
Astronomers say there's no danger asteroid that 2026 JH2 will hit Earth, but it's got many astronomers and stargazers excited, due to the possibility of it being visible for a brief period in the sky.
More on 2026 JH2
How to watch online
If you don't have a telescope or are not able to observe it, there will be a livestream offering live views of asteroid 2026 JH2 online, right at the point it makes its closest approach to our planet.
The Virtual Telescope Project captured image below, showing asteroid 2026 JH2 in the night sky on 16 May 2026.
In the image, the background stars are trailed due to the camera's long exposure as it tracked the asteroid across the sky.
The Virtual Telescope Project are live-streaming asteroid 2026 JH2's close approach to Earth tonight, 18 May 2026, starting at 19:45 UTC.
You can watch their feed below.
If you manage to observe or photograph asteroid 2026 JH2, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
