286080 (2001 TX1)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 286080 (2001 TX1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 24,239,389 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

286080 (2001 TX1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 TX1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 TX1 orbits the sun every 392 days (1.07 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.55 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 TX1 is probably between 0.150 to 0.336 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2001 TX1's orbit is 0.04 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.

2001 TX1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 26, 2021 24,239,389 19.257
Nov. 4, 2031 29,352,491 9.480
June 27, 2036 27,904,962 20.037
Oct. 27, 2105 29,592,579 20.514
June 20, 2110 29,111,724 9.579
Oct. 28, 2120 26,569,003 19.860
June 19, 2125 27,520,684 9.778
Nov. 7, 2151 22,624,801 10.507
June 26, 2156 17,609,736 17.867
Nov. 6, 2166 12,753,414 12.469
June 25, 2171 10,846,586 16.289
Nov. 6, 2181 11,857,755 12.690
June 25, 2186 12,459,644 16.705
Nov. 7, 2196 16,355,441 11.703

Images and Observations

2001 TX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 10, 2001. It was last officially observed on Aug. 3, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 160 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 2001 TX1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.047 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4825
  • Inclination: 2.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 159.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 354.19°
  • Mean Anomaly: 79.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.194 km
  • Magnitude: 21.24

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 392 days (1.07 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.55 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.54 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 286080 (2001 TX1) 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 2001 TX1 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.