2020 TF

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2020 TF

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 24,723,781 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 TF is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 TF as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2020 TF orbits the sun every 415 days (1.14 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 1.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 TF is probably between 0.122 to 0.273 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2020 TF'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.

2020 TF has 27 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 9, 2020 24,723,781 10.610
May 11, 2022 22,112,937 16.330
Oct. 29, 2028 20,319,352 16.181
April 26, 2030 22,462,696 10.774
Nov. 6, 2045 10,284,874 11.948
May 7, 2047 8,810,572 14.280
Oct. 27, 2053 29,367,553 17.660
Nov. 8, 2070 17,067,872 11.231
May 9, 2072 16,200,208 15.389
Oct. 30, 2078 19,040,428 15.989
April 26, 2080 19,696,990 11.013
Nov. 11, 2095 29,886,814 10.271
May 13, 2097 28,522,888 17.368
Nov. 3, 2103 8,051,116 14.306
May 1, 2105 10,215,521 11.975
Nov. 10, 2120 23,327,754 10.703
May 12, 2122 20,767,316 16.119
Oct. 30, 2128 21,849,108 16.418
April 26, 2130 24,158,365 10.660
Nov. 7, 2145 8,524,080 12.142
May 7, 2147 7,405,652 14.061
Oct. 28, 2153 29,227,815 17.624
April 23, 2155 29,840,432 10.301
Nov. 10, 2170 21,081,624 10.871
May 11, 2172 20,212,751 16.012
Nov. 2, 2178 14,078,399 15.210
April 29, 2180 15,005,343 11.466

Images and Observations

2020 TF's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 16, 2013. It was last officially observed on June 5, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 139 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 2020 TF:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.089 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3028
  • Inclination: 19.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 221.22°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 271.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 120.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.158 km
  • Magnitude: 21.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 415 days (1.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.55 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2020 TF 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 2020 TF 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.