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Newly Discovered Neo Asteroid 2026 SA8 Close but Safe Approach

astrophyzix.com4 points3 comments
Screenshot of Newly Discovered Neo Asteroid 2026 SA8 Close but Safe Approach

Astrophyzix identifies a newly discovered near‑Earth object, 2026 SA8, as a small Apollo‑class asteroid that will pass inside lunar distance on 28 September 2026 at 06:45 TDB (±22 minutes). JPL Close‑Approach Data confirms a miss distance of 0.988 lunar distances (≈379,868 km, 0.00254 au) and a relative velocity of 6.61 km/s (v∞ 6.45 km/s). Published orbital elements are a = 1.07 au, e = 0.231, i = 1.89°, with an orbital period of ≈401 days and an Earth MOID of 0.0027 au. Absolute magnitude H = 28.634 implies a roughly 6.7 m diameter (range 5.0-11.1 m, albedo‑dependent). The object is not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (H ≫ 22), is not listed on Sentry, and carries no impact risk in current watches.

The analysis is explicitly data‑driven and integrated with NASA APIs (JPL CAD, NeoWs, Horizons, CNEOS Scout) and Astrophyzix’s own probabilistic orbital pipelines and Astrophyzix Risk Index (ARI). Important caveats are highlighted: the orbital solution is provisional, based on a very short 2‑day arc and only 11 observations, so elements and close‑approach parameters are preliminary. The writeup emphasizes that sub‑lunar flybys by meter‑scale objects are routine for modern surveys and that objects this small typically pose no surface impact threat, usually burning up in the atmosphere.

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