Asteroid 2026 PC6 passed Earth at 0.05 LD, marking closest flyby of 2026

Asteroid 2026 PC6 close approach on August 12, 2026. Credit: ESA/NEOCC, The Watchers 2026 PC6 is one of 101 known asteroids to pass within 1 LD of Earth in 2026, as of UTC on August 14. Based on nominal LD distance, it is the closest known asteroid flyby within 1 LD recorded so far this year. The Minor Planet Center (MPC) noted the initial reported observation by ATLAS-TDO at Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, at UTC on August 11 – about 23 hours and 30 minutes before closest approach. 2026 PC6 is an Aten-class near-Earth asteroid with an estimated diameter of 6.8 to 15 m (22 to 49 feet). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Small-Body Database reports an orbit with a semimajor axis of 0.749 AU, perihelion of 0.426 AU, aphelion of 1.073 AU, eccentricity of 0.432, and inclination of 19.8 degrees. Asteroid 2026 PC6 close approach on August 12, 2026. Credit: ESA/NEOCC, The WatchersMPC reported 101 total observations over the interval from UTC to UTC on August 11. Its orbit entry used 97 observations, a 1-day arc, orbit type Aten, and an uncertainty value of 5. Asteroid 2026 PC6 close approach on August 12, 2026. Valid: UTC on August 14 Asteroids within 1LD in 2025. Valid: UTC on March 26, 2026 Asteroids within 1 LD in 2024 Asteroids within 1 lunar distance in 2023 Asteroids within 1 LD in 2022 Asteroid within 1 LD in 2021 Asteroids within 1 LD in 2020 References: 1 Asteroid 2026 PC6 – JPL/SSD – Accessed August 14, 2026 2 2026 PC6 – IAU/MPC – Accessed August 14, 2026 Teo Blašković I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers. news.