Astrophyzix Midweek CNEOS Close-Approach Full Report for 23–26 February 2026 Powered by the Official NASA JPL CNEO API
This midweek Near-Earth Object monitoring report summarises confirmed close approaches recorded in NASA/JPL orbital databases for the period 23–26 February 2026. All orbital solutions referenced here are validated entries from the Small-Body Database and represent routine Solar System traffic with no impact risk.
A total of 25 catalogued near-Earth asteroids pass within 100 lunar distances during this reporting window. None are classified as hazardous.
Closest Approaches This Week
The closest predicted flyby during this period is asteroid 2026 CU1, estimated at approximately 54 metres in diameter, passing at 3.20 lunar distances on 26 February. This distance corresponds to roughly 1.23 million kilometres from Earth, safely outside any collision risk zone.
The second-closest approach is 2026 DD1, a smaller 11-metre object passing at 3.93 lunar distances on 25 February. Objects of this size are routinely detected by modern survey systems and represent typical small-body traffic within the inner Solar System.
- Closest flyby distance: 3.20 lunar distances
- Largest object: 2017 EE23 (~188 m)
- Fastest velocity: 2017 PY26 (~26.42 km/s)
- Total flybys tracked: 25
- Hazardous objects: 0
Notable Medium-Size Objects
Several mid-scale asteroids exceeding ~100 metres in diameter appear in this week’s approach list. While larger than typical newly discovered objects, their orbital paths remain extremely well constrained.
- 2017 EE23 — ~188 m — 33.03 LD
- 2026 DC3 — ~131 m — 23.44 LD
- 2018 CP14 — ~130 m — 35.84 LD
- 2012 XF55 — ~118 m — 16.29 LD
- 2017 PY26 — ~138 m — 89.81 LD
Objects in this size range are routinely tracked years or decades in advance once their orbits are sufficiently refined.
Objects Passing Within 10 Lunar Distances
- 2026 CU1 — 54 m — 3.20 LD
- 2026 DD1 — 11 m — 3.93 LD
- 2026 DL5 — 16 m — 4.89 LD
- 2026 DZ — 23 m — 7.14 LD
- 2018 RB1 — 11 m — 8.27 LD
All remain several times farther than the Moon’s orbit and therefore represent routine astronomical flybys.
Full Flyby Dataset (23–26 Feb)
- 2026 DL5 — 16 m — 7.34 km/s — 4.89 LD
- 2026 DZ — 23 m — 7.63 km/s — 7.14 LD
- 2018 RB1 — 11 m — 7.90 km/s — 8.27 LD
- 2022 EZ6 — 88 m — 6.93 km/s — 11.59 LD
- 2026 BM8 — 42 m — 6.41 km/s — 13.23 LD
- 2026 CJ1 — 30 m — 7.16 km/s — 13.70 LD
- 2026 CW2 — 34 m — 8.63 km/s — 14.59 LD
- 2012 XF55 — 118 m — 4.01 km/s — 16.29 LD
- 2026 DD — 93 m — 21.70 km/s — 20.47 LD
- 2026 DC — 57 m — 6.76 km/s — 23.33 LD
- 2026 DC3 — 131 m — 15.93 km/s — 23.44 LD
- 2017 EE23 — 188 m — 11.84 km/s — 33.03 LD
- 2026 CE1 — 40 m — 5.81 km/s — 34.20 LD
- 2018 CP14 — 130 m — 11.85 km/s — 35.84 LD
- 2024 CC7 — 23 m — 10.89 km/s — 56.42 LD
- 2015 KQ18 — 36 m — 15.83 km/s — 59.17 LD
- 2026 CP — 147 m — 18.31 km/s — 61.11 LD
- 2017 CQ1 — 59 m — 4.44 km/s — 62.59 LD
- 2024 CL2 — 72 m — 10.74 km/s — 64.47 LD
- 2025 DO — 35 m — 9.72 km/s — 65.24 LD
- 2025 UL3 — 37 m — 5.75 km/s — 67.85 LD
- 2023 HO4 — 99 m — 6.17 km/s — 76.87 LD
- 2017 PY26 — 138 m — 26.42 km/s — 89.81 LD
Velocity Distribution
Relative encounter velocities in this dataset span from approximately 4.01 km/s up to 26.42 km/s. Such variation reflects the diversity of orbital inclinations and eccentricities among the near-Earth asteroid population.
Higher encounter velocities do not imply increased impact risk; orbital geometry and minimum intersection distance remain the controlling safety factors.
Understanding Lunar Distance as a Safety Metric
One lunar distance (LD) equals approximately 384,400 kilometres — the average Earth-Moon separation. Planetary defence monitoring typically regards objects passing inside 1 LD as extremely rare events, while flybys at multiple LD are routine.
All objects listed in this report remain many lunar distances away, confirming that no unusual proximity events are expected this week.
Detection and Tracking Methodology
Near-Earth asteroids are detected primarily via automated sky surveys employing wide-field CCD imaging and rapid motion detection algorithms. Once identified, follow-up astrometry refines orbital solutions through least-squares fitting against gravitational models including planetary perturbations.
Modern survey networks provide continuous updates to orbital parameters, allowing precise future-position forecasting with extremely small uncertainties for known objects.
Data Integrity Statement
All flyby data presented in this report is cross-referenced against the NASA/JPL Small-Body Database lookup system. Sizes represent estimated equivalent diameters derived from absolute magnitude modelling and assumed albedo ranges. Actual physical dimensions may vary within standard uncertainty margins.
Verification Sources
- NASA Center for Near Earth Object Studies
- NASA/JPL Small-Body Database
- Peer-reviewed NEO population model (Icarus)
Astrophyzix Risk Assessment
No objects in this reporting window present any measurable impact probability. All flybys fall into the routine background population of near-Earth asteroid passages continuously tracked by international planetary-defence programmes.