Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 18,771,755 km of Earth in 2020
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2021 TK13 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 TK13 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 TK13 orbits the sun every 357 days (0.98 years), coming as close as 0.83 AU and reaching as far as 1.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 TK13 is probably between 0.014 to 0.065 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2021 TK13's orbit is 0.06 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 TK13 has 54 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 20, 2020 | 18,771,755 | 8.505 |
| Sept. 24, 2021 | 10,096,812 | 4.804 |
| July 18, 2022 | 25,511,775 | 4.584 |
| Oct. 29, 2022 | 19,894,792 | 4.824 |
| June 10, 2023 | 28,502,198 | 6.183 |
| Nov. 30, 2023 | 24,121,517 | 5.077 |
| May 8, 2024 | 26,666,631 | 6.218 |
| Jan. 4, 2025 | 21,923,111 | 4.204 |
| April 2, 2025 | 20,595,068 | 4.989 |
| Feb. 19, 2026 | 12,489,309 | 5.386 |
| Feb. 10, 2027 | 25,585,344 | 9.711 |
| Sept. 21, 2061 | 23,784,100 | 9.613 |
| Sept. 21, 2062 | 9,223,265 | 5.585 |
| Aug. 4, 2063 | 23,326,725 | 3.507 |
| Oct. 20, 2063 | 17,684,707 | 4.629 |
| June 18, 2064 | 28,302,115 | 5.925 |
| Nov. 21, 2064 | 23,630,633 | 5.091 |
| May 17, 2065 | 27,518,234 | 6.341 |
| Dec. 25, 2065 | 23,314,776 | 4.604 |
| April 13, 2066 | 22,629,502 | 5.462 |
| Feb. 26, 2067 | 13,440,740 | 4.441 |
| Feb. 13, 2068 | 20,533,861 | 8.491 |
| Sept. 22, 2103 | 16,126,059 | 7.897 |
| Sept. 28, 2104 | 11,201,774 | 4.567 |
| July 13, 2105 | 26,376,196 | 4.895 |
| Nov. 3, 2105 | 20,822,741 | 4.908 |
| June 7, 2106 | 28,523,069 | 6.245 |
| Dec. 5, 2106 | 24,305,807 | 5.035 |
| May 5, 2107 | 26,081,324 | 6.146 |
| Jan. 13, 2108 | 21,111,988 | 3.899 |
| March 28, 2108 | 19,341,080 | 4.780 |
| Feb. 18, 2109 | 12,967,996 | 5.985 |
| Feb. 10, 2110 | 28,585,082 | 10.407 |
| Sept. 21, 2144 | 18,299,904 | 8.405 |
| Sept. 26, 2145 | 10,152,676 | 4.759 |
| July 17, 2146 | 25,962,414 | 4.692 |
| Nov. 1, 2146 | 20,241,946 | 4.856 |
| June 9, 2147 | 28,578,137 | 6.219 |
| Dec. 4, 2147 | 24,230,094 | 5.032 |
| May 6, 2148 | 26,233,142 | 6.167 |
| Jan. 12, 2149 | 21,291,853 | 3.933 |
| March 29, 2149 | 19,478,453 | 4.814 |
| Feb. 19, 2150 | 12,899,601 | 5.946 |
| Feb. 11, 2151 | 28,466,701 | 10.384 |
| Sept. 23, 2184 | 28,544,128 | 10.609 |
| Sept. 21, 2185 | 10,417,804 | 6.391 |
| Oct. 14, 2186 | 15,576,451 | 4.491 |
| June 27, 2187 | 28,037,947 | 5.685 |
| Nov. 18, 2187 | 23,029,193 | 5.048 |
| May 23, 2188 | 27,955,326 | 6.334 |
| Dec. 20, 2188 | 23,873,914 | 4.739 |
| April 19, 2189 | 23,539,934 | 5.653 |
| March 4, 2190 | 14,498,843 | 4.251 |
| Feb. 15, 2191 | 18,614,278 | 8.014 |
Images and Observations
2021 TK13's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 3, 2021. It was last officially observed on Nov. 15, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 47 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2021 TK13 can be reached with a journey of 418 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.719 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 427,080 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 TK13.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 TK13:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9846 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1581
- Inclination: 5.17°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 217.83°
- Argument of Periapsis: 26.59°
- Mean Anomaly: 106.09°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.040 km
- Magnitude: 25.4
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 357 days (0.98 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.00 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.14 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.83 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2021 TK13 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 TK13 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.
