2017 TG2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 TG2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 25,672,606 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 TG2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 TG2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 TG2 orbits the sun every 767 days (2.10 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 2.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 TG2 is probably between 0.123 to 0.275 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2017 TG2'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.

2017 TG2 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 9, 2022 25,672,606 13.816
Oct. 25, 2038 12,643,339 16.631
April 17, 2043 12,543,668 16.601
Nov. 5, 2059 28,479,998 13.378
April 23, 2064 9,858,831 20.176
Oct. 17, 2099 12,544,933 20.777
Oct. 19, 2120 9,680,680 20.103
Oct. 16, 2141 18,641,906 22.163
May 1, 2190 21,975,871 22.867

Images and Observations

2017 TG2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 28, 2017. It was last officially observed on May 20, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 180 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 2017 TG2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.64 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.635
  • Inclination: 4.07°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 249.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 229.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 267.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.159 km
  • Magnitude: 21.67

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 767 days (2.10 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.26 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 TG2 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 2017 TG2 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.