Two small asteroids discovered within the past week will each pass Earth at a little more than half the distance to the Moon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, about 19 hours apart, according to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory close-approach data. Neither poses any danger of hitting Earth — and both are far too faint to see without a large telescope.

The first, 2026 TG9, is expected to make its closest approach at about 12:57 a.m. EDT on Oct. 14 (04:57 UTC), at roughly 141,000 miles (227,000 kilometers) from Earth. The second, 2026 TP6, follows at about 7:57 p.m. EDT (23:57 UTC) at roughly 136,000 miles (219,000 kilometers), the closer of the pair.

Close passes like these are routine in astronomical terms, but they are a useful window into how asteroid tracking works. Both rocks were found only days before their flybys, which illustrates how hard small objects are to spot until they are already near Earth.

Distances, Times and Sizes From JPL

JPL's close-approach database, queried Oct. 11, lists 2026 TP6 at a nominal distance of 0.00147 astronomical units and 2026 TG9 at 0.00152 astronomical units. That works out to about 0.57 and 0.59 lunar distances, where one lunar distance is the average Earth-Moon separation of about 238,900 miles (384,400 kilometers). These are the two closest approaches in JPL's list for Oct. 9 through Oct. 20.

The timing carries small uncertainties. JPL gives a three-sigma timing uncertainty of about 21 minutes for 2026 TG9 and about 38 minutes for 2026 TP6, and its minimum possible distances for both remain more than half a lunar distance. The times are listed in Barycentric Dynamical Time, which differs from UTC by about a minute.

Neither object's size has been measured directly. JPL lists absolute magnitudes of about 27.0 for 2026 TG9 and 27.5 for 2026 TP6, a measure of brightness. Depending on how reflective their surfaces are, that suggests 2026 TG9 is roughly 10 to 23 meters (35 to 75 feet) across and 2026 TP6 roughly 8 to 19 meters (30 to 60 feet), Nature World News calculated using the standard conversion. Both are moving about 10 to 12 kilometers per second relative to Earth, or roughly 23,000 to 26,000 mph.

Objects in that size range usually break up high in the atmosphere if they ever do strike Earth, though larger fragments can reach the ground. That is not a concern here, because the orbits keep both asteroids well clear of the planet.

Found Days Before Their Closest Approach

JPL's Small-Body Database shows that 2026 TP6 was first observed on Oct. 6, with 20 observations over a three-day arc as of its Oct. 9 orbit solution. 2026 TG9 was first observed on Oct. 9, with 27 observations spanning about a day, and its orbit was solved Oct. 10.

Short observation arcs mean the long-term orbits are still rough. JPL rates the orbits with uncertainty codes of 7 for 2026 TP6 and 8 for 2026 TG9 on a 0-to-9 scale where higher numbers mean more uncertainty. The near-term close-approach distances are much better constrained than the long-range paths, which is why JPL can give tight distance ranges for Wednesday.

Small asteroids are hard to find early because they reflect little sunlight. Survey telescopes often pick them up only when they come within a few million miles of Earth and briefly brighten, so discoveries days before a flyby are common for objects of this size.

The two asteroids also belong to different orbital families. JPL classifies 2026 TP6 as an Aten, which NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies defines as "Earth-crossing NEAs with semi-major axes smaller than Earth's," and 2026 TG9 as an Apollo, an Earth-crossing asteroid whose average orbit is larger than Earth's. Neither is classed as a potentially hazardous asteroid, a label reserved for objects roughly 140 meters or larger that can come within about 4.6 million miles of Earth's orbit.

A Busy Week for Close Passes

These flybys are part of a steady stream. JPL's list for Oct. 9 through Oct. 20 includes 17 asteroids passing within about eight lunar distances, several of them inside the Moon's orbit, including 2026 TL6 on Oct. 10 and 2026 TU8 on Oct. 9.

Spaceweather.com, which tracks close approaches daily, put the count of known potentially hazardous asteroids at 2,349 on Oct. 11 and noted in its daily report that "None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet."The same page notes that astronomers are finding new ones all the time.

Nature World News previously reported that asteroid 2026 SZ2 passed about 9,200 miles above Earth in late September, inside the orbit of geostationary satellites. That pass was far closer than either of Wednesday's flybys.

Seeing or Following the Flybys

Backyard skywatchers will not be able to see either asteroid — not even with binoculars. Objects this faint require large telescopes, and some observatories stream close passes online. People who want to follow along can check JPL's close-approach database, which updates as new observations refine the orbits.

The most important detail to watch is whether additional observations shift the times or distances. Small changes are normal for newly found objects, and none would bring either asteroid close to striking Earth.

The bottom line is that two house-sized or smaller asteroids will pass inside the Moon's orbit on Wednesday, hours apart, with no risk to Earth. Their late discovery is a routine reminder of how many small rocks share Earth's neighborhood, and of how much of NASA's asteroid tracking depends on finding them quickly.

What Readers Want to Know

Which asteroids are passing Earth on Oct. 14?

Asteroids 2026 TG9 and 2026 TP6. Both were discovered in early October and will pass inside the Moon's orbit.

How close will they come?

About 141,000 miles for 2026 TG9 and about 136,000 miles for 2026 TP6, or roughly 0.59 and 0.57 lunar distances, according to JPL.

When is the closest approach?

About 12:57 a.m. EDT for 2026 TG9 and about 7:57 p.m. EDT for 2026 TP6 on Oct. 14, with uncertainties of tens of minutes.

Could either asteroid hit Earth?

No. JPL's minimum possible distances for both remain more than half the distance to the Moon.

How big are they?

Their sizes have not been measured. Based on brightness, they are likely about 8 to 23 meters, or roughly 30 to 75 feet, across.

Can I see them?

No. They are far too faint for the naked eye or typical backyard telescopes.