Latest Near Earth Object (NEO) News: Asteroid 2026 TP6

Single-Object Orbital Dossier · Asteroid (2026 TP6)

Single-Asteroid Report · JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB) Lookup · UTC

Near-Earth Object (NEO) Close-Approach Report: Asteroid 2026 TP6

Orbital and close-approach dossier for a newly-characterized Aten-class near-Earth asteroid, built from the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB) lookup tool — orbit solution JPL 2. This is a single-object dossier, not a live CNEOS CAD/Scout stream. Live Multi-watch CAD/Scout/Sentry tracker.

(2026 TP6) is a small Aten-class near-Earth asteroid, first observed 6–12 October 2026 and formally characterized two days ago from a 6-day arc. Its newly-fitted orbit shows an imminent close Earth approach on 15 October 2026, at approximately 0.57 lunar distances (218,413 km) — closer than the Moon itself — followed roughly 7½ hours later by a close pass of the Moon. Despite the tight geometry, 2026 TP6 is not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid: at an estimated 9–21 m across, it falls far below the PHA size threshold regardless of its small Earth MOID.

Closest known approach · imminent, upcoming

2026 TP6 · Earth encounter

0.57 LD

218,413 km · 0.00146 au · v_rel 10.28 km/s

EARTH SURFACE2 LD (ZOOMED SCALE)

Encounter (UTC)

2026-Oct-15 00:01 ±00:04

Est. diameter

0.0124 km (SBDB H-derived)

Diameter range

0.0093 – 0.0207 km

Earth radii

34.3 R_E

Close-Approach History (2020–2056)

Full close-approach table from the JPL SBDB record for 2026 TP6, covering approaches to Earth, the Moon, Venus and Mars from the fitted orbit. The 15 October 2026 Earth & Moon pair is the only non-routine entry; all others are ordinary, well-separated passes.

Close-approach table for (2026 TP6), JPL SBDB solution JPL 2, 2020–2056. Distances in au, km, and lunar distances (LD) where applicable.

Date/Time (TDB)	± Unc.	Body	Dist (au)	Dist (km)	Dist (LD)	v_rel (km/s)	Status
2020-Jun-02 04:46	21:14	Earth	0.07898	11,815,240	30.74	11.97	Routine
2021-Jun-02 23:17	3d 06:57	Earth	0.14704	21,996,871	57.22	6.43	Routine
2025-Sep-27 22:10	17:57	Earth	0.19253	28,802,078	74.93	6.82	Routine
2026-Oct-15 00:01	00:04	Earth	0.00146	218,413	0.57	10.28	Notable
2026-Oct-15 07:29	00:05	Moon	0.00161	240,853	—	10.85	Notable
2026-Dec-21 00:58	12:18	Venus	0.07376	11,034,339	—	8.00	Routine
2027-Oct-09 18:11	02:26	Earth	0.15414	23,059,016	59.99	14.69	Routine
2038-Sep-11 22:48	8d 16:54	Venus	0.07082	10,594,521	—	8.00	Routine
2043-Jan-25 10:45	5d 01:06	Mars	0.08736	13,068,870	—	5.51	Routine
2056-May-31 08:58	1d 13:50	Earth	0.09663	14,455,642	37.61	12.41	Routine

1 au = 149,597,870.70 km. LD not shown for Moon/Venus/Mars target rows — lunar distance is conventionally an Earth-relative unit. Uncertainty windows widen for both older and farther-future entries, since every prediction here is propagated from the same single 6-day 2026 observation arc.

Orbital Dossier

(2026 TP6)

Heliocentric osculating elements from JPL SBDB, epoch JD 2461200.5 (2026-Jun-09.0 TDB), orbit solution JPL 2. Dynamical class: ATE (Aten) — near-Earth asteroid orbits with semi-major axis under 1 au, similar to 2062 Aten, that still cross Earth's orbit near aphelion.

Semi-major axis a

0.97737 au

Eccentricity e

0.34659

Perihelion q

0.63862 au

Aphelion Q

1.31611 au

Inclination i

3.5575 deg

Orbital period

352.926 d (0.9663 yr)

Asc. node Ω

22.616 deg

Arg. perihelion ω

112.059 deg

Mean anomaly M

155.882 deg (at epoch)

Mean motion n

1.02004 deg/d

Time of perihelion t_p

2026-Jan-07.181 TDB

Tisserand T_jup

6.135

Earth MOID

0.0014922 au (≈223,300 km)

Jupiter MOID

3.72662 au

[H] absolute magnitude

27.288 ±0.630

SPK-ID

54661369

Solution quality: condition code 6, normalized residual RMS 0.34291, fit to 30 observations across a 6-day arc (2026-10-06 to 2026-10-12), solved 2026-10-12 06:52:49 UTC. Planetary ephemeris DE441, small-body perturbation ephemeris SB441-N16. Source: JPL, producer Otto Matic.

JPL Small-Body Database record: ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026%20TP6

Astrophyzix analysis · single-object dossier

2026 TP6 is a newly characterized Aten-class near-Earth asteroid (semi-major axis 0.97737 au) with an Earth MOID of 0.0014922 au. This geometry is consistent with the close approach listed for 15 October 2026 at 0.57 lunar distances (218,413 km, 0.00146 au) and a relative velocity of 10.28 km/s. Absolute magnitude H = 27.288 ± 0.630 corresponds to an estimated diameter of roughly 9–21 m (nominal ~12 m using standard albedo bounds). This places the object well below the H ≤ 22 size criterion used for Potentially Hazardous Asteroid classification; the small MOID alone does not confer PHA status. The orbit solution (JPL 2) rests on 30 observations spanning a 6-day arc (6–12 October 2026) with condition code 6. That arc is sufficient to constrain the imminent Earth encounter to ±4 minutes, while earlier and later tabulated approaches (2020–2056) carry larger uncertainty windows because they are propagated from the same short arc. The table also records a Moon encounter 7.5 hours after the Earth pass at 0.00161 au. No entry in the close-approach table is listed as an impacting trajectory.

Classification

Aten (NEO)

PHA status

No (size below threshold)

Closest listed approach

0.57 LD (Earth, 2026-Oct-15)

Same-day Moon pass

0.00161 au, +7.5 h later

Earth MOID

0.00149 au

Data arc

6 days, 30 obs.

Condition code

6

Approach table span

2020–2056

Newly Discovered NEO Asteroid 2026 SA8 Close Approach to Earth Orbital Report and Deterministic Analysis as it Passes Closer Than The Moon

Asteroid 2026 SA8 · Astrophyzix Scientific Close-Approach & Orbital Report

Asteroid 2026 SA8 — Small Apollo NEO Close-Approach & Orbital Profile · JPL CAD confirmed

✅ Data source: JPL Close-Approach Data (CAD) · confirmed solution, 2-day arc, updated 28 September 2026

📌 Cited and Featured by: 🔹 Google AI 🔹 Copilot Answers 🔹 Kagi News 🔹 Bing AI 🔹 News Nook 🔹 iAsk Student 🔹 Google Gemini 🔹 ChatGPT 🔹 Grok

Top-down schematic. Orbit size and shape are drawn from the published elements (a, e, q, Q); the orientation of the orbit and the marked encounter point are approximate. 2026 SA8's orbit is nearly the same size as Earth's — an Apollo that happens to cross very close to home.

Apollo NEO2-Day Data Arc11 ObservationsARI 43 / 100NO IMPACT RISK — Not on Sentry

Key Takeaways of Asteroid 2026 SA8

• Close approach: predicted for 28 Sep 2026 at 06:45 TDB (timing uncertainty ± 22 minutes), confirmed in the JPL CAD record. The miss distance is 0.988 LD (≈ 379,868 km, 0.00254 au) — slightly closer than the Moon's own average distance from Earth (384,400 km), though still roughly 60 Earth radii out.
• Speed: 6.61 km/s relative to Earth (≈ 23,800 km/h), the slowest of the recent tracked passes; v∞ 6.45 km/s.
• Orbit class: Apollo NEO — a = 1.07 au, e = 0.231, i = 1.89°, orbital period ≈ 401 days (1.10 years). Its orbit is close in size to Earth's own, only about 10% longer in period.
• Earth MOID: 0.0027 au (≈ 404,000 km). This pass, at 0.00254 au, is actually a touch closer than the nominal MOID figure — with only a 2-day arc, both numbers carry some uncertainty.
• Size estimate: absolute magnitude H = 28.634, giving a diameter of about 6.7 m (range 5.0–11.1 m, albedo-dependent) — the smallest of the recent tracked objects. The size is H-derived, not measured.
• Orbit quality: the solution rests on a very short 2-day data arc with just 11 observations, so the orbital elements are provisional and should be treated as preliminary.
• Risk context: not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (H is far above the H ≤ 22 PHA threshold), not on the Sentry watchlist, and no Scout entry.
• Keep it in proportion: a sub-lunar-distance flyby from a ~7 m object is a routine, expected detection for current sky surveys — small objects like this pass this close to Earth regularly and burn up harmlessly if they ever did enter the atmosphere.

Approach Scale

2026 SA8's flyby distance sits almost exactly at the Moon's own distance — the marker and the Moon's tick nearly overlap on this scale.

Scientific Consensus Snapshot of 2026 SA8

Parameter	Status
Orbit class	Apollo NEO (a > 1 au, q < 1.017 au — Earth-crossing)
Semi-major axis (a)	1.07 au
Eccentricity (e)	0.231
Perihelion distance (q)	0.818 au
Aphelion distance (Q)	1.31 au
Inclination (i)	1.89°
Orbital period	≈ 401 days (1.10 years)
Earth MOID	0.0027 au (≈ 404,000 km)
Tisserand parameter (TJ)	≈ 5.8 † — well above 3, firmly asteroidal
Absolute magnitude (H)	28.634 (very small object)
Estimated diameter	≈ 6.7 m (5.0–11.1 m), H-derived
Observations / data arc	11 observations over 2 days
Sentry / Scout	Not on Sentry watchlist · no Scout entry
Hazard level	Non-hazardous size; not PHA-class

† Derived by Astrophyzix from a, e and i. All other values are taken from the JPL CAD/SBDB record.

2026 SA8 Close-Approach Overview

Date/Time (TDB)	Body	Nominal distance	Min–Max distance (au)	Vrel (km/s)
2026-09-28 06:45 ± 00:22	Earth	0.00254 au 0.988 LD	0.00251 – 0.00257	6.61

Same-day company

Another small object passed later the same day (28 Sep 2026):

Object	Date/Time (TDB)	Miss distance	Velocity	Est. size	ARI
2026 SX2	2026-09-28 18:11	4.102 LD	7.69 km/s	13 m	32

1. Asteroid 2026 SA8

Small Apollo NEO on an orbit close in size to Earth's own, with a sub-lunar-distance flyby predicted for 28 September 2026 — dynamically notable for how close it comes, but non-hazardous in current solutions.

Asteroid 2026 SA8 Orbital Geometry

Parameter	Value
Orbit class	Apollo (APO) — Earth-crossing NEO
Semi-major axis (a)	1.07 au
Eccentricity (e)	0.231
Perihelion distance (q)	0.818 au
Aphelion distance (Q)	1.31 au
Inclination (i)	1.89°
Mean motion (n)	≈ 0.90 deg/day †
Orbital period	≈ 401 days (1.10 years)
Earth MOID	0.0027 au (≈ 404,000 km)
Data arc	2 days
Observations used	11

Physical Characteristics of NEO 2026 SA8

Parameter	Value
Absolute magnitude (H)	28.634
Estimated diameter	≈ 5.0–11.1 m (nominal 6.7 m, assuming albedo 0.25–0.05)
Size source	H-derived (no radar or thermal measurement)
Rotation period	Not published
Spectral type	Unknown (no published taxonomy)
PHA classification	No — below PHA-class threshold (derived)

2026 SA8 occupies an orbit that is, in size, almost a twin of Earth's — a = 1.07 au against Earth's 1.00 au, and a period of 401 days against Earth's 365. What makes it Earth-crossing rather than co-orbital is its eccentricity of 0.231, which carries it from 0.818 au at perihelion (between Venus and Earth) out to 1.31 au at aphelion (between Earth and Mars). At only about 5–11 m across, it is smaller than the 2013 Chelyabinsk impactor and would pose no meaningful hazard even in a hypothetical atmospheric entry.

Interpretation of the Predicted Approach

With just a 2-day arc and 11 observations, this is the most provisional of the recent orbit solutions in this series — the ± 22 minute timing uncertainty on the approach itself reflects that. Both the approach distance and the quoted Earth MOID should be read as preliminary until more astrometry comes in.

The passage at 0.988 LD is closer than the Moon's own orbit, which is a useful reminder of scale: even "close by astronomical standards" here means a clean miss tens of thousands of kilometres beyond any risk to Earth.

Astrophyzix Assessment:

The predicted 28 September 2026 approach is safe and non-hazardous. Its short data arc makes it a priority target for follow-up astrometry in the days around closest approach, both to firm up this pass and to characterise the orbit for future apparitions.

Astrophyzix Risk Index (ARI)

43 / 100 for 2026 SA8, matching 2026 SY2's score despite being far smaller and slower — driven mainly by its very tight approach distance.

ARI is an Astrophyzix composite index used to rank close approaches at a glance. It is not an official NASA, ESA or IAU hazard rating; the authoritative impact-risk sources are Sentry and Scout.

Newly Discovered NEO Asteroid 2026SC Close Approach Report, Analysis and Complete Official Data Profile - Astrophyzix Digital Observatory

Astrophyzix Scientific Close-Approach & Orbital Report NEO 2026SC Official Data

Asteroid 2026 SC — Small Aten NEO Close-Approach & Orbital Profile · JPL CAD confirmed

✅ Data source: JPL Close-Approach Data (CAD) · confirmed solution, 6-day arc

Top-down schematic. Orbit size and shape are drawn from the published elements (a, e, q, Q); the orientation of the orbit and the marked encounter point are approximate. Note how small and Earth-like this orbit is compared with 2026 SY2's — 2026 SC is an Aten, spending most of its time inside Earth's orbit. 

Copyright © 2026 Astrophyzix - All images, original calculations and analysis are the digital property of Astrophyzix. No distribution without proper attribution 

Aten NEO6-Day Data Arc30 ObservationsARI 42 / 100NO IMPACT RISK — Not on Sentry

Key Takeaways of Asteroid 2026 SC

• Close approach: predicted for 25 Sep 2026 at 13:47 TDB (timing uncertainty ± 4 minutes), confirmed in the JPL CAD record. The miss distance is 1.705 LD (≈ 655,383 km, 0.00438 au).
• Speed: 7.75 km/s relative to Earth (≈ 27,900 km/h) — much slower than 2026 SY2's 25.1 km/s; v∞ 7.68 km/s.
• Orbit class: Aten NEO — a = 0.832 au, e = 0.322, i = 4.66°, orbital period ≈ 277 days (0.76 years). Unlike an Apollo, an Aten spends most of its orbit inside Earth's.
• Earth MOID: 0.0034 au (≈ 509,000 km). This pass, at 0.00438 au, is about 30% farther than the geometric MOID — not the tightest approach this orbit allows.
• Size estimate: absolute magnitude H = 26.159, giving a diameter of about 21 m (range 15.6–34.9 m, albedo-dependent). The size is H-derived, not measured.
• Orbit quality: the solution rests on a 6-day data arc with 30 observations — a longer baseline than a 1-day discovery arc, but still short enough that the elements are provisional.
• Risk context: not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (H is above the H ≤ 22 PHA threshold), not on the Sentry watchlist, and no Scout entry.
• Keep it in proportion: a lunar-distance-class flyby from a ~20 m object is a routine, expected detection for current sky surveys. This one is tracked, confirmed and shows no impact geometry.

Approach Scale

Scientific Consensus Snapshot of 2026 SC

Parameter	Status
Orbit class	Aten NEO (a < 1 au, Q > 0.983 au — Earth-crossing, orbit mostly interior to Earth's)
Semi-major axis (a)	0.832 au
Eccentricity (e)	0.322
Perihelion distance (q)	0.564 au
Aphelion distance (Q)	1.10 au
Inclination (i)	4.66°
Orbital period	≈ 277 days (0.76 years)
Earth MOID	0.0034 au (≈ 509,000 km)
Tisserand parameter (TJ)	≈ 7.0 † — well above 3, firmly asteroidal
Absolute magnitude (H)	26.159 (very small object)
Estimated diameter	≈ 21 m (15.6–34.9 m), H-derived
Observations / data arc	30 observations over 6 days
Sentry / Scout	Not on Sentry watchlist · no Scout entry
Hazard level	Non-hazardous size; not PHA-class

† Derived by Astrophyzix from a, e and i. All other values are taken from the JPL CAD/SBDB record.

2026 SC Close-Approach Overview

Date/Time (TDB)	Body	Nominal distance	Min–Max distance (au)	Vrel (km/s)
2026-09-25 13:47 ± 00:04	Earth	0.00438 au 1.705 LD	0.00437 – 0.00440	7.75

1. Asteroid 2026 SC

Small Aten NEO on a compact, Earth-orbit-hugging path, with a lunar-distance flyby predicted for 25 September 2026 and a tight Earth MOID — a routine, well-characterised approach with no impact geometry in current solutions.

Asteroid 2026 SC Orbital Geometry

Parameter	Value
Orbit class	Aten (ATE) — Earth-crossing NEO
Semi-major axis (a)	0.832 au
Eccentricity (e)	0.322
Perihelion distance (q)	0.564 au
Aphelion distance (Q)	1.10 au
Inclination (i)	4.66°
Longitude of node (Ω)	180°
Argument of perihelion (ω)	325°
Mean anomaly (M)	103°
Mean motion (n)	≈ 1.30 deg/day †
Orbital period	≈ 277 days (0.76 years)
Earth MOID	0.0034 au (≈ 509,000 km)
Data arc	6 days
Observations used	30

Physical Characteristics of NEO 2026 SC

Parameter	Value
Absolute magnitude (H)	26.159
Estimated diameter	≈ 15.6–34.9 m (nominal 20.8 m, assuming albedo 0.25–0.05)
Size source	H-derived (no radar or thermal measurement)
Rotation period	Not published
Spectral type	Unknown (no published taxonomy)
PHA classification	No — below PHA-class threshold (derived)

2026 SC is a small Aten NEO whose orbit lies almost entirely inside Earth's, ranging from 0.564 au at perihelion (between Mercury's and Venus's distances) out to 1.10 au at aphelion, just beyond Earth's own orbit. That small overshoot at aphelion is what makes it Earth-crossing and gives it a tight MOID of 0.0034 au. At an estimated 15–35 m across, it is in the same general size class as the 2013 Chelyabinsk fireball (about 18–20 m), though it is passing at a safe distance with no impact geometry in current solutions.

Interpretation of the Predicted Approach

The 6-day data arc and 30 observations give a noticeably firmer orbit than a bare 1-day discovery arc, but the elements are still short-arc and will tighten further as more astrometry comes in before and after the 25 September pass.

Because the approach distance (0.00438 au) sits somewhat above the orbit's Earth MOID (0.0034 au), this particular encounter is not the closest geometry the orbit permits — a useful reminder that MOID describes the orbits' closest possible separation, not any single flyby.

Astrophyzix Assessment:

Astrophyzix confirms that it's predicted 25 September 2026 approach is safe, non-hazardous and a good target for follow-up astrometry. Astrophyzix Orbital calculations are consistent with NASA and no impact risk is suggested. Its Aten orbit and short period make it a candidate for early recovery in future apparitions.

Astrophyzix Risk Index (ARI)

42 / 100 for 2026 SC — close to the ARI recorded for 2026 SY2 (43) despite a much slower, more distant pass, reflecting its somewhat larger estimated size.

ARI is an Astrophyzix composite index used to rank close approaches at a glance. It is not an official NASA, ESA or IAU hazard rating; the authoritative impact-risk sources are Sentry and Scout.