2008 TC3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 TC3 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.
2008 TC3 orbits the sun every 547 days (1.50 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 TC3 is probably between 0.001 to 0.006 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
The rotation of 2008 TC3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.03 hours.
2008 TC3's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.
2008 TC3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 6, 2008. It was last officially observed on Oct. 7, 2008. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 575 observations used to determine its orbit.
2008 TC3 can be reached with a journey of 386 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.023 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 126 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2008 TC3.
The position of 2008 TC3 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.