Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 5,698,562 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 TD7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 TD7 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.

2021 TD7 orbits the sun every 734 days (2.01 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.30 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 TD7 is probably between 0.012 to 0.028 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 TD7's orbit is 0.02 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.

2021 TD7 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 27, 2019 5,698,562 12.393
Sept. 30, 2021 3,870,466 13.270
Oct. 4, 2023 9,970,302 14.550
Oct. 7, 2025 19,264,652 16.200

Images and Observations

2021 TD7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 3, 2021. It was last officially observed on Oct. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 23 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 TD7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.592 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4433
  • Inclination: 14.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 10.81°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 301.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 10.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.016 km
  • Magnitude: 26.66

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 734 days (2.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.30 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 TD7 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.