140333 (2001 TD2)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 140333 (2001 TD2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 27,578,767 km of Earth in 2051
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

140333 (2001 TD2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 TD2 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2001 TD2 orbits the sun every 345 days (0.94 years), coming as close as 0.50 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 TD2 is probably between 0.377 to 0.843 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2001 TD2's orbit is 0.19 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2001 TD2 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 7, 2051 27,578,767 16.462
Sept. 8, 2068 29,655,096 14.672
Sept. 8, 2101 29,084,072 17.876
Sept. 8, 2118 27,409,664 15.868
Sept. 8, 2168 28,259,024 17.544
Sept. 9, 2185 27,351,620 15.659

Images and Observations

2001 TD2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 10, 2001. It was last officially observed on Dec. 2, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 744 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 2001 TD2:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9619 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4816
  • Inclination: 19.03°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 12.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 199.08°
  • Mean Anomaly: 198.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.487 km
  • Magnitude: 19.24

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 345 days (0.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.33 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.50 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 140333 (2001 TD2) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 TD2 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.