A bus-sized space rock first spotted days ago will zip past Earth at roughly a quarter of the moon’s distance.
WASHINGTON — A newly discovered asteroid is on course to pass closer to Earth than many orbiting satellites next Monday, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study a near-Earth object at close range without launching a mission to reach it.
The asteroid, designated 2026 JH2, will pass Earth at a distance of about 56,700 miles on May 18. That puts it at just 24% of the average lunar distance, well within the orbit of many communications satellites.
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