Saltwater crocodile-sized asteroid 2026 VD16
0.8 LD · ~6 m
Drawn to scale.
Silhouette: Steven Traver, PhyloPic (CC0)
2026 VD16 passes inside the Moon's orbit, about 291,887 km from Earth's centre (0.8× the distance to the Moon). It is 3–10 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 inside the Moon's orbit about 100 times a year, and many more pass unseen. This is a routine close approach with no known impact risk.
For the background, read Impact risk in Asteroids.
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