2016 TR54

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2016 TR54

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 28,318,401 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 TR54 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 TR54 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.

2016 TR54 orbits the sun every 351 days (0.96 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 TR54 is probably between 0.102 to 0.229 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 TR54's orbit is 0.02 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.

2016 TR54 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 23, 2020 28,318,401 9.663
Dec. 24, 2021 6,469,660 15.530
Aug. 29, 2038 27,534,928 18.821
Aug. 20, 2039 19,753,038 11.768
Dec. 27, 2045 12,097,460 12.107
Dec. 19, 2046 24,817,600 19.345
Aug. 22, 2063 15,394,415 13.703
Dec. 27, 2069 13,949,677 11.745
Dec. 20, 2070 24,297,872 19.216
Aug. 25, 2086 17,275,039 15.822
Dec. 25, 2092 23,940,247 10.146
Dec. 22, 2093 14,305,963 17.139
Aug. 27, 2109 21,283,489 17.165
Aug. 20, 2110 26,413,100 10.129
Dec. 26, 2116 2,561,009 14.298
Aug. 21, 2133 17,723,664 12.484
Dec. 28, 2139 9,771,995 12.515
Dec. 20, 2140 27,247,565 19.819
Dec. 29, 2163 19,260,903 10.830
Dec. 23, 2164 16,944,095 17.699

Images and Observations

2016 TR54's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 27, 2016. It was last officially observed on Dec. 13, 2021. 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 2016 TR54:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.974 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.45
  • Inclination: 7.59°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 101.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 109.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 219.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.132 km
  • Magnitude: 22.07

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 351 days (0.96 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.54 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 TR54 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 2016 TR54 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.