Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 136,058 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 TK11 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 TK11 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.

2021 TK11 orbits the sun every 1,100 days (3.01 years), coming as close as 0.94 AU and reaching as far as 3.22 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 TK11 is probably between 0.005 to 0.012 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 TK11's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2021 TK11 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 11, 2021 136,058 10.284
Oct. 14, 2024 3,051,140 10.582
Oct. 26, 2027 17,664,666 13.703

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Oct. 13, 2073 0.00000 0.009044

Images and Observations

2021 TK11's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 11, 2021. It was last officially observed on Oct. 15, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 62 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 2021 TK11:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.082 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.547
  • Inclination: 1.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 20.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 324.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 238.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.007 km
  • Magnitude: 28.56

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,100 days (3.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.22 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.94 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 TK11 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.