2009 TK8

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2009 TK8

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,187,447 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 TK8 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 TK8 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.

2009 TK8 orbits the sun every 327 days (0.90 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 TK8 is probably between 0.246 to 0.550 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2009 TK8's orbit is 0.07 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 TK8 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 15, 2026 12,187,447 14.911
Oct. 21, 2035 26,348,595 12.126
Oct. 14, 2052 11,204,427 13.927
Oct. 16, 2069 23,878,369 17.443
Oct. 16, 2078 14,161,762 13.190
Oct. 15, 2095 16,360,554 15.962
Oct. 19, 2104 21,224,375 12.432
Oct. 16, 2121 11,733,156 14.836
Oct. 23, 2130 28,062,050 12.057
Oct. 16, 2147 10,969,524 14.007
Oct. 17, 2164 26,448,859 17.957
Oct. 16, 2173 12,021,854 13.590
Oct. 17, 2190 23,476,842 17.389
Oct. 17, 2199 13,565,558 13.265

Images and Observations

2009 TK8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 15, 2009. It was last officially observed on Nov. 17, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 296 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 TK8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9294 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3402
  • Inclination: 21.17°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 29.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 222.23°
  • Mean Anomaly: 290.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.317 km
  • Magnitude: 20.17

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 327 days (0.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 TK8 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 TK8 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.