142464 (2002 TC9)

Small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 142464 (2002 TC9)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.89 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 19,956,556 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

142464 (2002 TC9) is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2002 TC9 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.

2002 TC9 orbits the sun every 501 days (1.37 years), coming as close as 1.04 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. 2002 TC9 is about 0.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2002 TC9 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.13 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 TC9's orbit is 0.06 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.

2002 TC9 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 6, 2021 19,956,556 8.669
April 2, 2032 17,711,335 10.093
April 6, 2058 12,968,846 8.664
April 1, 2069 24,296,867 10.839
April 6, 2095 15,426,558 8.631
April 3, 2106 18,459,094 10.175
April 8, 2132 22,853,351 8.711
April 5, 2143 12,393,189 9.517
April 8, 2169 28,354,006 8.899
April 5, 2180 10,162,156 9.227

Images and Observations

2002 TC9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 14, 1991. It was last officially observed on Jan. 20, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,223 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 2002 TC9:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.234 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1548
  • Inclination: 16.28°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 191.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 29.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 256.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.88600 km
  • Magnitude: 18.37
  • Albedo: 0.118

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 501 days (1.37 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.04 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.13 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 142464 (2002 TC9) 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 2002 TC9 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.