413260 (2003 TL4)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 413260 (2003 TL4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 6,362,702 km of Earth in 2029
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

413260 (2003 TL4) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 TL4 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 TL4 orbits the sun every 250 days (0.68 years), coming as close as 0.48 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 TL4 is probably between 0.326 to 0.728 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2003 TL4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 27.20 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 TL4's orbit is 0.03 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.

2003 TL4 has 26 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 26, 2029 6,362,702 9.682
Sept. 6, 2031 29,026,945 9.641
Oct. 20, 2042 14,019,602 8.792
Oct. 27, 2053 19,543,312 14.020
Oct. 7, 2055 21,318,952 8.580
Oct. 29, 2066 7,629,409 11.609
Sept. 21, 2068 25,762,317 8.737
Oct. 28, 2079 3,921,206 10.697
Sept. 16, 2081 26,834,053 8.888
Oct. 28, 2092 4,996,586 11.053
Sept. 21, 2094 25,900,227 8.780
Oct. 29, 2105 12,796,968 12.672
Oct. 4, 2107 22,633,448 8.628
Oct. 28, 2118 22,035,352 14.516
Oct. 15, 2120 17,856,034 8.648
Oct. 28, 2131 28,640,666 15.870
Oct. 21, 2133 13,791,789 8.829
Oct. 23, 2146 12,694,421 8.901
Oct. 27, 2157 29,187,493 16.000
Oct. 21, 2159 14,192,037 8.794
Oct. 28, 2170 25,974,720 15.323
Oct. 17, 2172 16,405,218 8.703
Oct. 29, 2183 22,738,231 14.649
Oct. 14, 2185 18,470,191 8.635
Oct. 29, 2196 17,875,693 13.664
Oct. 8, 2198 21,226,320 8.631

Images and Observations

2003 TL4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 13, 2003. It was last officially observed on Dec. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 459 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 2003 TL4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7768 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3814
  • Inclination: 12.19°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 220.01°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 321.98°
  • Mean Anomaly: 258.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.420 km
  • Magnitude: 19.56

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 250 days (0.68 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.48 AU
  • Rotation Period: 27.20 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 413260 (2003 TL4) 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 2003 TL4 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.