2005 TF49

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2005 TF49

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 16,477,400 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2005 TF49 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 TF49 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 TF49 orbits the sun every 388 days (1.06 years), coming as close as 1.02 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 TF49 is probably between 0.408 to 0.912 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2005 TF49'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.

2005 TF49 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 17, 2023 16,477,400 12.564
Oct. 21, 2023 21,532,133 13.680
April 16, 2039 23,703,523 13.551
Oct. 17, 2039 17,637,759 12.833
April 15, 2056 11,080,344 12.736
Oct. 18, 2056 5,175,903 12.672
April 16, 2073 10,577,093 12.709
Oct. 18, 2073 4,934,632 12.678
April 15, 2090 21,452,738 13.386
Oct. 17, 2090 15,904,411 12.792
April 17, 2108 16,754,396 12.589
Oct. 22, 2108 21,265,521 13.653
April 17, 2125 7,691,025 12.498
Oct. 20, 2125 8,300,795 12.894
April 17, 2142 7,702,068 12.536
Oct. 20, 2142 6,537,041 12.827
April 18, 2159 9,928,382 12.473
Oct. 22, 2159 13,160,664 13.135
Oct. 17, 2175 27,217,836 13.282
April 17, 2176 25,275,238 12.904
April 17, 2192 15,719,783 12.989
Oct. 19, 2192 9,106,818 12.661

Images and Observations

2005 TF49's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 21, 1989. It was last officially observed on May 10, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 971 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 2005 TF49:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.042 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0253
  • Inclination: 24.55°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 25.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 301.95°
  • Mean Anomaly: 13.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.527 km
  • Magnitude: 19.07

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 388 days (1.06 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.22 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.02 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2005 TF49 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 2005 TF49 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.