2021 TA8

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 TA8

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 21,392,528 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 TA8 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 TA8 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2021 TA8 orbits the sun every 546 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 1.76 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 TA8 is probably between 0.149 to 0.333 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2021 TA8'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.

2021 TA8 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 10, 2028 21,392,528 16.937
May 8, 2031 13,109,112 15.777
May 5, 2034 6,501,346 14.925
May 4, 2037 3,580,818 14.563
May 5, 2040 6,909,150 14.970
May 8, 2043 13,465,686 15.826
May 11, 2046 21,675,937 16.992
April 19, 2159 29,348,344 11.849
April 23, 2162 22,461,763 12.165
April 26, 2165 15,984,848 12.605
April 29, 2168 10,413,951 13.069
May 1, 2171 6,330,391 13.465
May 2, 2174 5,249,855 13.577
April 30, 2177 7,516,873 13.355
April 28, 2180 12,105,106 12.925
April 26, 2183 18,149,937 12.447
April 22, 2186 25,119,876 12.023

Images and Observations

2021 TA8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 2010. It was last officially observed on May 19, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 45 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 2021 TA8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.307 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3432
  • Inclination: 21.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 42.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 114.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 351.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.192 km
  • Magnitude: 21.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 546 days (1.49 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.76 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 TA8 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 2021 TA8 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.