11279 (1989 TC)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Inner Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

11279 (1989 TC) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter within the inner portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1989 TC as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1989 TC orbits the sun every 944 days (2.58 years), coming as close as 1.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1989 TC is probably between 2.982 to 6.669 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of 1989 TC has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

1989 TC's orbit is 0.80 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1989 TC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 1, 1989. It was last officially observed on Aug. 12, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,165 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 1989 TC:

• 1656 Suomi (1942 EC)
• 2035 Stearns (1973 SC)
• 2101 Adonis (1936 CA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 11279 (1989 TC) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1989 TC to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.