2017 TK6

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2017 TK6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 6,659,613 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 TK6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 TK6 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.

2017 TK6 orbits the sun every 273 days (0.75 years), coming as close as 0.50 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 TK6 is probably between 0.032 to 0.071 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 TK6'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 TK6 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 24, 2020 6,659,613 12.477
Oct. 25, 2023 11,046,210 13.587
Oct. 25, 2026 18,428,394 15.060
Oct. 24, 2029 27,044,097 16.776
Oct. 2, 2076 27,189,495 10.505
Oct. 9, 2079 23,019,558 10.506
Oct. 15, 2082 18,265,837 10.635
Oct. 19, 2085 13,159,722 10.945
Oct. 22, 2088 8,530,616 11.481
Oct. 25, 2091 6,511,785 12.210
Oct. 25, 2094 9,428,738 13.211
Oct. 25, 2097 16,058,152 14.577
Oct. 25, 2100 24,265,097 16.208
Oct. 1, 2147 28,662,936 10.506
Oct. 8, 2150 24,880,982 10.493
Oct. 13, 2153 20,462,749 10.571
Oct. 18, 2156 15,501,068 10.771
Oct. 23, 2159 10,637,581 11.185
Oct. 25, 2162 7,126,878 11.825
Oct. 26, 2165 7,491,787 12.668
Oct. 26, 2168 12,464,572 13.833
Oct. 26, 2171 19,840,617 15.303
Oct. 25, 2174 28,459,103 17.023

Images and Observations

2017 TK6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 15, 2017. It was last officially observed on Oct. 14, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 89 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 TK6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8239 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.39
  • Inclination: 16.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 24.63°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 150.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 199.75°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.041 km
  • Magnitude: 24.6

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 273 days (0.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.50 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 TK6 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 TK6 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.