1999 TO13

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a basketball court
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

1999 TO13 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 TO13 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1999 TO13 orbits the sun every 728 days (1.99 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.27 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 TO13 is probably between 0.113 to 0.254 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

No Close Approaches

1999 TO13's orbit is 0.03 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.

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

Images and Observations

1999 TO13's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 12, 1999. It was last officially observed on Oct. 23, 1999. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 98 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 1999 TO13:

• 3199 Nefertiti (1982 RA)
• 3800 Karayusuf (1984 AB)
• 8176 (1991 WA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 1999 TO13 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 1999 TO13 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.