2017 TD6 is a micro-asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 10–20 meters in diameter. It was first observed by Pan-STARRSatHaleakala Observatory, Hawaii, on 11 October 2017.[2]
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS |
| Discovery site | Haleakala Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 October 2017 (first observed only) |
| Designations | |
| 2017 TD6 | |
| NEO · Apollo[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter6 | |
| Observation arc | (8 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.5284 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.7798 AU |
| 1.1541 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3243 |
| 1.24 yr (453 days) | |
| 275.44° | |
| 0° 47m42s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.7198° |
| 26.985° | |
| 82.738° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.00034 AU · 0.13 LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 9.9–22 m[3] 11 m (generic at 0.20)[4] |
| 27.162[1] · 27.175 | |
On 19 October 2017, the asteroid transited Earth at a nominal distance of 191,000 km; 119,000 mi (0.001278 AU), which corresponds to 0.5 lunar distances (LD). On the following day it also passed near the Moon at 113,000 km (0.00075575 AU).[1] Peaking near a magnitude of 18, the object was too faint to be seen—except for the largest telescopes.[3]
As of 2018, 2017 TD6 has a poorly determined orbit with an uncertainty of 6 and a short observation arc of 8 days only. Due to its small size, the asteroid is likely to remain unobserved until its next, still relatively distant approach, predicted to occur in March 2044, at a distance of 2,030,000 km (0.01358 AU) or 5.3 LD from Earth.[1]