Newly Discovered Neo Asteroid 2026 SA8 Close but Safe Approach
10 hours ago
- Asteroid 2026 SA8 is a small Apollo-class NEO with a predicted close approach on 28 September 2026 at a distance of 0.988 lunar distances (slightly closer than the Moon's average orbit).
- It is non-hazardous: not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), not on the Sentry or Scout watchlists, and poses no impact threat.
- The object is very small, with an estimated diameter of about 6.7 meters (range 5–11 m), smaller than the 2013 Chelyabinsk impactor.
- The orbit is highly provisional, based on only 11 observations over a 2-day arc, leading to a ±22 minute timing uncertainty for the approach.
- At 6.61 km/s relative speed, it is the slowest of recent tracked passes; the flyby occurs well beyond geostationary orbit and poses no risk to satellites.
- Follow-up astrometry during the approach will refine the orbit; no regional hazard exists even in a hypothetical atmospheric entry.