88959 (2001 TZ44)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 88959 (2001 TZ44)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 10,300,883 km of Earth in 2029
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

88959 (2001 TZ44) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 TZ44 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 TZ44 orbits the sun every 826 days (2.26 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 TZ44 is probably between 0.860 to 1.923 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2001 TZ44 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.73 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 TZ44's orbit is 0.05 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 TZ44 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 28, 2029 10,300,883 31.338
April 21, 2072 27,604,696 29.880
May 4, 2081 16,423,364 33.321
May 1, 2124 6,709,536 32.035
April 29, 2167 9,221,912 31.221

Images and Observations

2001 TZ44's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 26, 2001. It was last officially observed on Nov. 2, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 456 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 TZ44:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.723 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5638
  • Inclination: 53.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 38.96°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 114.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 203.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.110 km
  • Magnitude: 17.45

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 826 days (2.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.73 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 88959 (2001 TZ44) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 TZ44 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.