Asteroid, over 50 times wider than Chelyabinsk meteor, to pass by Earth tonight

An asteroid, which is 50 to 60 times wider than Chelyabinsk meteor, is to pass by Earth tonight i.e. Saturday June 27, 2026

An asteroid, which is 50 to 60 times wider than Chelyabinsk meteor, is to pass by Earth tonight i.e. Saturday June 27, 2026.

A meteor, 20 meters in diameter, had exploded 30 km above the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia in February 2013 with energy approximately 25 times more powerful than the Nagasaki bomb, causing thousands of human injuries and damage worth billions of dollars.

That event had created a massive sonic boom and a shock wave that broke windows in six Russian cities. Over 500 people, including 84 children, were injured when the meteorite shower rained down on three regions of Russia, and neighbouring Kazakhstan.

Asteroid 1997 NC1

The asteroid which is to pass by Earth today is called 1997 NC1 and is of the size 50 to 60 times wider than Chelyabinsk meteor. It was discovered by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking system on Haleakala in Hawaii.

Asteroid 1997 NC1 will pass on June 27 at a much-greater distance than the Chelyabinsk meteor, at some 1.5 million miles (2.4 million kilometers). That’s just under 7 times farther away than the moon. So there is absolutely no danger from this asteroid, EarthSky News reported.

The last time an asteroid as big as this one came this close to Earth was in January 2022. That famous flyby was asteroid 1994 PC1, comparable in size to 1997 NC1, but passing slightly closer at 1.23 million miles (1.98 million km, or about 5 times the moon’s distance).

Skywatchers with small telescopes can watch the asteroid 1997 NC1 safely flyby Earth today.

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