Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 11,939,346 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 TY2 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 TY2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 TY2 orbits the sun every 1,260 days (3.45 years), coming as close as 0.36 AU and reaching as far as 4.21 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 TY2 is probably between 0.414 to 0.925 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2018 TY2's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2018 TY2 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 9, 2032 11,939,346 30.254
June 21, 2050 21,581,122 24.442
June 22, 2088 20,976,259 24.786
Nov. 22, 2122 23,631,688 23.610
Nov. 10, 2129 12,595,200 31.060
Nov. 13, 2167 4,058,182 29.508

Images and Observations

2018 TY2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 29, 2011. It was last officially observed on Sept. 4, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 153 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 2018 TY2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.288 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8419
  • Inclination: 4.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 272.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 249.21°
  • Mean Anomaly: 115.78°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.534 km
  • Magnitude: 19.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,260 days (3.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.21 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.36 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2018 TY2 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 2018 TY2 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.