ASTEROID FLYBY0.2× MOON

Asteroid 2026 RG15 flew past Earth

Closest approach
Map: Asteroid 2026 RG15 flew past Earth

Asteroid 2026 RG15 passed Earth on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at about 07:36 UTC, at 94,698 km (58,845 miles): 0.25 times the distance to the Moon, closer than the Moon itself. It was moving at 9.1 km/s (20,410 mph) relative to Earth and is about 16 to 35 meters (51 to 114 feet) across, judging by its brightness. NASA’s orbit puts it safely past: it posed no risk of hitting Earth on this pass.

Closest approachSep 15 07:36 UTC
Distance94,698 km · 58,845 mi
Lunar distances0.25
Speed9.1 km/s · 20,410 mph
Size (est.)16–35 m
Brightness (H)26.2
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Its orbit

It is an Apollo asteroid: its orbit is larger than Earth’s but crosses it. It circles the Sun once every 1.7 years. Astronomers first spotted it on September 12, 2026, just 3 days before its closest approach.

How often does this happen?

Small asteroids pass between Earth and the Moon every few weeks; most are only a few meters to tens of meters across and are found days before, or even after, they fly by. For scale, the rock that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 was about 18 meters across.

Did you know?

King tides. The highest tides of the year come when a new or full moon lines up with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth.

Data: NASA JPL Small-Body Database and CNEOS close approaches. Size assumes a reflectivity between 5 and 25 percent.

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