Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.46 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 27,890,170 km of Earth in 2070
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

55408 (2001 TC2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 TC2 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.

2001 TC2 orbits the sun every 421 days (1.15 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.35 AU from the sun. 2001 TC2 is about 0.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2001 TC2's orbit is 0.15 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 TC2 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 14, 2070 27,890,170 18.357
April 10, 2085 24,065,445 18.163
April 6, 2100 22,090,116 18.073
April 3, 2115 22,129,358 18.065
March 29, 2130 24,344,428 18.157
March 24, 2145 28,444,412 18.347

Images and Observations

2001 TC2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 13, 1979. It was last officially observed on July 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 258 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 TC2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.1 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2245
  • Inclination: 30.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 193.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 353.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 224.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.46100 km
  • Magnitude: 18.82
  • Albedo: 0.342

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 421 days (1.15 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.43 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 55408 (2001 TC2) 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 TC2 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.