2009 TK12

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 TK12

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,596,741 km of Earth in 2043
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 TK12 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 TK12 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 TK12 orbits the sun every 806 days (2.21 years), coming as close as 0.71 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 TK12 is probably between 0.193 to 0.431 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2009 TK12 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.17 hours.

Close Approaches

2009 TK12's orbit is 0.01 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.

2009 TK12 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 27, 2043 28,596,741 11.318
April 23, 2054 8,034,473 17.012
Nov. 20, 2062 7,114,473 14.552
April 20, 2096 5,520,327 15.769
Nov. 20, 2104 5,410,022 14.886
April 18, 2127 10,781,249 14.072
Nov. 27, 2135 13,627,690 13.250
May 2, 2158 22,604,159 20.248
April 15, 2178 14,770,324 13.173
Nov. 25, 2186 11,042,843 13.783

Images and Observations

2009 TK12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 14, 2009. It was last officially observed on Dec. 6, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 244 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 2009 TK12:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.696 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5842
  • Inclination: 3.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 245.51°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 245.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 70.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.249 km
  • Magnitude: 20.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 806 days (2.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.89 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.71 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.17 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 TK12 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 2009 TK12 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.