Close approach

Triceratops-sized asteroid 2026 OS

3.1 LD · ~8 m

3.1 LD
lunar distances from Earth
1,180,108 km
distance from Earth’s center
5–14 m
estimated diameter
Triceratops
roughly the size of
1 in 4,100
chance of a future impact (NASA Sentry)
2026 OS · ~8 mTriceratops · 8 m long
10 m

Drawn to scale.

Silhouette: Jagged Fang Designs, PhyloPic (CC0)

2026 OS passes about 3.1× the distance to the Moon from Earth (1,180,108 km). It is 5–14 m across (estimated). If a rock this size hit Earth, it would burn up as a bright fireball high in the atmosphere; at most, small meteorites reach the ground. Astronomers spot one this size passing within 5× the Moon's distance about 330 times a year, and many more pass unseen. It misses Earth on this pass. NASA's Sentry impact monitoring gives it about a 1 in 4,100 chance of hitting Earth on a later pass between 2036 and 2100; odds like these usually drop to zero as more observations come in.

For the background, read Impact risk in Asteroids.

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