NEO

A small asteroid passes by Earth. Illustration: depositphotos.com

A small asteroid will pass very close to Earth – but without any risk of impact

2026 JH2, which is tens of meters in diameter, is expected to pass within only about 91 kilometers of Earth on May 18. The close pass will allow for telescopic observations and live broadcasts, but does not pose a threat.
This animation shows the inner solar system populated by known asteroids in blue and asteroids discovered by Rubin in light blue. Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor. Star map: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC. Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Vera Rubin Observatory begins operations and has already discovered more than 11,000 new asteroids

In just a month and a half of observations, scientists at the Vera Rubin Observatory identified thousands of new bodies in the solar system, including dozens of near-Earth bodies and hundreds of distant worlds beyond Neptune.