Watch an asteroid the size of a blue whale hurtle towards Earth live online May 18

Near-Earth Asteroid 2026 JH2 extremely close encounter: online observation – 18 May 2026 – YouTube

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A newly discovered asteroid the size of an adult blue whale is set to fly past Earth on May 18 at 24% of the average Earth-moon distance, and you can watch the event unfold in real time from the comfort of your home with this Virtual Telescope Project livestream.

The near-Earth asteroid 2026 JH2 was discovered on May 10 by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona. Follow-up observations estimate the asteroid measures between 52 and 114 feet (16-35 meters) based on its apparent brightness, according to ESA.

2026 JH2 will make its closest approach to Earth at 5:23 p.m. (2123 GMT) on May 18, when it passes within 56,628 miles (91,135 kilometers), while traveling at 19,417 mph (31,248 km/h) relative to Earth.

How to watch the flyby live online

The free Virtual Telescope Project YouTube livestream will begin at 3:45 p.m. EDT (19:45 GMT) on May 18, weather permitting.

“At the time of the observation, the object will be moving pretty fast against the stars, but our advanced telescopes will precisely track 2026 JH2 while it will be almost at its minimum distance from us, peaking in brightness, around magnitude 11.5, before it will set below our horizon,” Virtual Telescope Project founder Gianluca Masi told Space.com in an email.

2026 JH2 poses no threat to the moon or Earth during its close approach, but should shine bright enough to be spotted by the organization’s telescopes in Manciano, Italy.

“We will see it like a sharp dot of light, moving against the starry background, with stars leaving long streaks, as we will be tracking the asteroid,” Masi explained.

Having shot past Earth, 2026 JH2 will embark on a 3.8-year round trip that will see it venture out close to the orbit of Jupiter before tracking an elliptical path back towards the sun, according to the European Space Agency. Its next close pass of our planet won’t come until the year 2060, when it will pass 17 times the Earth-moon distance.