Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.55 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 12,297,229 km of Earth in 2072
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 TA36 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 TA36 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2014 TA36 orbits the sun every 1,750 days (4.79 years), coming as close as 0.83 AU and reaching as far as 4.84 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2014 TA36 is about 0.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2014 TA36's orbit is 0.04 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.

2014 TA36 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 27, 2072 12,297,229 16.875
Dec. 21, 2090 21,810,571 12.843
March 17, 2124 14,965,814 13.738

Images and Observations

2014 TA36's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 13, 2014. It was last officially observed on May 22, 2015. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 100 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 2014 TA36:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.838 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7064
  • Inclination: 6.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 228.96°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 256.49°
  • Mean Anomaly: 290.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.55400 km
  • Magnitude: 20.69
  • Albedo: 0.030

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,750 days (4.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.84 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.83 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2014 TA36 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2014 TA36 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.