2013 TK4

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2013 TK4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 24,648,552 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 TK4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 TK4 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.

2013 TK4 orbits the sun every 331 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 TK4 is probably between 0.028 to 0.123 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2013 TK4'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.

2013 TK4 has 34 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 17, 2022 24,648,552 12.177
Nov. 25, 2023 28,055,187 6.668
Sept. 24, 2032 14,459,591 6.517
Jan. 14, 2034 18,032,166 7.241
Nov. 9, 2042 27,792,249 6.869
Sept. 18, 2051 10,085,020 7.589
Jan. 7, 2053 20,894,668 5.553
Nov. 9, 2061 27,655,984 6.848
Sept. 24, 2070 13,613,828 6.579
Jan. 14, 2072 18,095,050 7.565
Sept. 18, 2079 22,747,378 11.753
Nov. 30, 2080 27,423,430 6.499
Oct. 11, 2089 21,289,825 6.502
Jan. 12, 2091 23,006,044 10.423
Sept. 16, 2098 18,000,174 10.706
Dec. 5, 2099 27,227,617 6.403
Oct. 4, 2108 18,601,240 6.417
Jan. 14, 2110 19,199,805 8.851
Nov. 18, 2118 28,329,113 6.804
Sept. 22, 2127 12,012,278 6.853
Jan. 14, 2129 19,000,424 6.336
Nov. 17, 2137 28,119,097 6.789
Oct. 2, 2146 17,179,669 6.400
Jan. 15, 2148 19,381,553 8.891
Sept. 18, 2155 17,204,810 10.528
Dec. 10, 2156 26,462,866 6.231
Oct. 18, 2165 23,288,094 6.603
Jan. 12, 2167 25,998,000 11.349
Sept. 17, 2174 15,035,682 10.032
Dec. 11, 2175 26,717,691 6.244
Oct. 7, 2184 19,545,412 6.442
Jan. 14, 2186 19,872,503 9.206
Sept. 19, 2193 28,514,334 13.064
Nov. 21, 2194 28,390,079 6.748

Images and Observations

2013 TK4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 2, 2013. It was last officially observed on Nov. 25, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 25 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2013 TK4 can be reached with a journey of 418 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.175 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 12,407 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2013 TK4.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2013 TK4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.936 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2479
  • Inclination: 7.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 204.04°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 23.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 123.01°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.076 km
  • Magnitude: 24.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 331 days (0.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.76 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2013 TK4 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 2013 TK4 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.