The asteroid that flew past Earth this weekend isn’t the type of object that typically attracts people’s attention, even in astronomical circles where flybys of Earth are fairly routine. Still, there are moments when the numbers line up in a way that makes people look twice. A rocky body several times taller than the Eiffel Tower, moving through the inner solar system on a path that passes our planet at what space agencies still describe as a safe distance, has a tendency to do so. It will not be visible to the naked eye, and nothing about its trajectory suggests anything unusual in the dangerous sense, but the combination of its size, timing, and relative brightness has made it a topic of discussion among observers who follow the sky closely. The pass occurs on Saturday, June 27, 2026, when it passes through space at a distance of about 1.6 million miles from Earth.
on a large scale Asteroid 1997 NC1 Scheduled for close approach in late June
The object in question is asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1, a near-Earth asteroid estimated to be between 710 and 1,600 meters wide. This places it in the category of objects that planetary scientists view with steady interest rather than alarm. It is so large that it would reshape the regional landscape if it were ever on an impact path, yet its current orbit is poorly understood.According to data compiled by the European Space Agency, closest approach occurs on June 27 at approximately 11:14 UTC, when the asteroid reaches its closest point about 2.6 million kilometers away. The orbital classification used by astronomers places it in the Aten group, meaning it spends most of its time inside Earth’s orbit while still crossing our path at intervals.“Approaches of an object of this size to Earth occur only every few years, although this time the bright nearby moon may hinder its observation at closest approach,” said Juan Luis Cano of ESA’s Planetary Defense Office.
How astronomers have tracked it since 1997
The asteroid was first picked up by the NEAT survey in 1997, part of a broader effort to catalog objects passing through Earth’s neighborhood at the time. At the time, detection systems were much less automated than they are today, and follow-up observations were necessary to confirm its orbit.Over the years, repeated tracking has refined its path to the point where its future path can be predicted with high confidence. The object has not changed its course in any dramatic sense; What has changed is the accuracy with which astronomers can map its motion against the background of the solar system.Its last recorded close approach was in 1993, and the next comparable pass is not expected until 2088, which is why this weekend’s flyby is being treated as a rare observing window rather than a regular occurrence.
How to watch an asteroid fly by via online livestream
For most people, the simplest way to follow the asteroid will be via livestream rather than with a telescope in the garden. The Virtual Telescope Project is planning online observations on both June 26 and 27, starting at 23:00 UTC each evening.The feed will be led by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, who typically narrates these sessions while the telescope captures the slow drift of objects in the star fields. The asteroid itself will not appear as a dramatically shaped or bright body. It appears more as a moving point of light, changing its position against the fixed stars over the course of minutes.
Asteroid Visibility Quick Tips
Under the right conditions, the asteroid sits near the edge of visibility for modest instruments. Its peak brightness is estimated to be around magnitude 10, which puts it not only beyond the reach of the naked eye, but within reach of small telescopes and large telescopes in dark skies.The European Space Agency believes that a telescope of about 100 mm aperture should be enough to capture it as a blurry dot moving slowly across the field of view. It’s not the brightness that gives it away but the speed. Within a few minutes, it changes to contrast with the background stars in such a way that it becomes apparent once noticed.One complication this time is the moon phase. A bright moon, due to be full just a few days after closest approach, will wash out some of the fainter stars. This makes it difficult to distinguish the asteroid by sight, especially from suburban locations where light pollution is already an issue.
Time, sky position and moon interference
During the days surrounding closest approach, the asteroid sweeps across a wide swath of the sky, starting with Lyra before moving south into Norma. That path places it in a different location depending on whether the observer is in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, although the general speed remains consistent.Its speed across the sky is relatively fast for a telescopic target, about 40 arcseconds per minute. This figure sounds technical, but in practice, it means that during a short observation session, if carefully tracked it will clearly change the situation.