2008 TP26

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 TP26

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 12,093,396 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 TP26 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 TP26 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.

2008 TP26 orbits the sun every 418 days (1.14 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 1.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 TP26 is probably between 0.046 to 0.102 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2008 TP26's orbit is 0.08 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.

2008 TP26 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 16, 2023 12,093,396 11.728
Sept. 16, 2024 13,543,526 11.089
March 24, 2031 14,770,231 10.179
Sept. 18, 2032 18,731,929 13.137
April 10, 2039 25,456,753 9.391
March 8, 2078 23,033,794 14.540
Sept. 19, 2079 20,720,123 8.999
March 14, 2086 13,746,827 12.439
Sept. 17, 2087 14,032,306 10.380
March 20, 2094 11,909,933 10.899
Sept. 18, 2095 14,771,773 12.035
April 1, 2102 19,514,843 9.597
Sept. 21, 2103 24,633,441 14.489
March 6, 2141 29,799,730 15.903
Sept. 22, 2142 25,982,708 8.529
March 12, 2149 17,040,681 13.295
Sept. 19, 2150 16,022,379 9.752
March 17, 2157 11,583,591 11.658
Sept. 18, 2158 13,114,375 11.134
March 24, 2165 13,441,566 10.366
Sept. 20, 2166 17,257,624 12.850
April 7, 2173 23,517,930 9.366
Sept. 23, 2174 29,645,390 15.555

Images and Observations

2008 TP26's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 9, 2008. It was last officially observed on Oct. 10, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 37 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 2008 TP26:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.094 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2873
  • Inclination: 13.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 12.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 241.75°
  • Mean Anomaly: 107.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.059 km
  • Magnitude: 23.82

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 418 days (1.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 TP26 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 2008 TP26 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.