「2026JH2」と命名された小惑星が5月18日、地球から9万917キロメートルの距離を通過する。この天体の直径は16から36メートルで、もし衝突すれば都市に被害をもたらすだけの質量があるものの、専門家は少なくとも今後100年間は衝突のリスクがないことを確認している。
この小惑星は、アリゾナ州のマウントレモンサーベイとカンザス州のファーポイント天文台の観測者らによって今週発見されたばかりであり、協定世界時（UTC）の午後9時38分に地球に最接近する。ランカシャー大学のマーク・ノリス氏は、天文学的な観点から言えば、今回のフライバイ（接近通過）は衝突の危険はないものの近距離であると指摘している。この小惑星は北半球の空に短時間現れるが、地球に対する相対速度が秒速9.17キロメートルと速いため、南半球からでも追跡は困難であると見られている。
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NASA's Artemis II astronauts have surpassed the halfway point to the Moon following Wednesday's translunar injection burn, continuing smooth progress on the historic 10-day mission—the first crewed trip beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17. The crew is on track for a lunar far-side flyby tomorrow and observations on April 6.
US company ExLabs announced that its ApophisExL mothership passed a key review ahead of a 2028 launch to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft will deploy two landers as part of multiple missions studying the asteroid during its close pass by Earth on 13 April 2029. Apophis, 400 metres across, will come within 32,000 kilometres, visible to the naked eye.
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NASA's Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to pass within 2,800 miles of Mars on May 15 to gain a gravitational boost toward its target asteroid. The maneuver will increase the probe's speed while allowing tests of its scientific instruments.
NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
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A rare planetary alignment featuring six planets will be visible across the night sky from anywhere on Earth. The event excludes Mars, which is positioned on the opposite side of the sun. Observers can best view it on 28 February and 1 March.
NASA has rescheduled the Artemis II mission, the first crewed trip to the moon since 1972, for an April liftoff from Florida. The 10-day flight will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby without landing, testing key systems for future missions. Commander Reid Wiseman leads the crew, which includes the first Canadian astronaut to venture to the moon.
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NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is set to launch Artemis II as soon as April 1, 2026, sending four astronauts on a crewed flyby to the Moon's far side—the farthest from Earth any humans have traveled. This follows February's Artemis program adjustments addressing SLS delays, using the rocket's powerful core stage and boosters detailed ahead of liftoff.