ASTEROID FLYBY0.8× MOON

Asteroid 2026 TU3 flew past Earth

Closest approach
Map: Asteroid 2026 TU3 flew past Earth

Asteroid 2026 TU3 passed Earth on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at about 02:51 UTC, at 317,507 km (197,299 miles): 0.83 times the distance to the Moon, closer than the Moon itself. It was moving at 14.3 km/s (31,952 mph) relative to Earth and is about 4 to 8 meters (12 to 26 feet) across, judging by its brightness. NASA’s orbit puts it safely past: it posed no risk of hitting Earth on this pass.

Closest approachOct 7 02:51 UTC
Distance317,507 km · 197,299 mi
Lunar distances0.83
Speed14.3 km/s · 31,952 mph
Size (est.)4–8 m
Brightness (H)29.4
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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 2.1 years. Astronomers first spotted it on October 6, 2026, just 1 day 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?

Chelyabinsk, 2013. In February 2013 an asteroid about 18 meters across exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Its shock wave shattered windows and injured about 1,500 people.

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

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