Two Chelyabinsk meteorites will fly past Earth today

A rather rare event—the flyby of two large asteroids in the immediate vicinity of Earth—will occur today. The rocks, named 2026 JH2 and 2026 KB, were, as often happens, discovered just a few days before their close approach to the planet—on May 10 and 13, respectively. This once again demonstrates how suddenly a fairly large object capable of causing significant destruction can emerge from space.

The asteroids are similar in size and most likely around 20 meters, making them almost exact twins of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, which fell to Earth on February 15, 2013, and is likely the largest celestial body to collide with the planet in the 21st century. 2026 KB, which is slightly smaller than the second, will miss the planet by approximately 230,000 km (its closest approach will occur today at 15:15 UTC). The second, slightly larger asteroid, 2026 JH2, will pass by Earth at exactly 22:00 UTC at a distance of approximately 91,000 km. This is certainly not a record, but it appears to be the closest approach of an object of this size to the planet this year.

Both bodies pose no danger to Earth. As is well known, the uncertainty of motion (and the resulting risk of impacting Earth) increases the further an object is from Earth. In this case, no force in nature other than divine influence can alter the asteroid's motion and direct it toward Earth several hours before its passage.

The second, closer asteroid can theoretically be seen from Earth with semi-professional instruments (its magnitude is approximately +12, sufficient for such observations). However, due to the body's very rapid movement across the sky, capturing it with a lens is a challenging task, requiring preparation and a clear understanding of when and where to look. However, the first amateur images are already coming in.

So, let's wave goodbye to the stones today and wait for our next guests.