2012 TC4

2012 TC₄

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Pan-STARRS F51
Discovery date	October 4, 2012
Designations
Minor planet category	Apollo NEO
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 5
Aphelion	1.87738 AU (280.852 Gm)
Perihelion	0.93401 AU (139.726 Gm)
Semi-major axis	1.40569 AU (210.288 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.33556
Orbital period	1.67 yr (608.74 d)
Mean anomaly	321.982°
Mean motion	0° 35^m 28.975^s /day
Inclination	0.85583°
Longitude of ascending node	198.2526°
Argument of perihelion	222.556°
Known satellites	none
Earth MOID	4.01747×10^−5 AU (6.01005×10^3 km)
Jupiter MOID	3.46393 AU (518.197 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	12-27 m[3] 12-19 m[4]
Rotation period	00:12:13.68 HH:MM:SS[5]
Absolute magnitude (H)	26.7[1][2]

2012 TC₄ is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid that will make a close approach to Earth early on October 12, 2017 between 0.00008818 and 0.002896 AU (0.034 to 1.127 LD, 13200–433200 km, 8200-269200 mi.)^[6]

The asteroid, however, only has an observation arc of 7 days, between October 4, 2012, and October 11th, 2012, so the exact distance of its closest approach is uncertain. The asteroid has been known to make many close approaches to Earth in the past, including an approach of 0.000634 AU (0.247 LD, 94,800 km, 58,900 mi) on October 12, 2012, during which the asteroid was discovered.

Rotation

Studies of the asteroid's light curve found it to have a rotation period of approximately 12 minutes and 14 seconds,^[5] relatively slow for the asteroid's size (10-20 meter) as small asteroids have been found to rotate much faster; asteroid 2014 RC, a similarly-sized NEO, has a rotation period of only 16 seconds.

References

1. "IAU Minor Planet Center - 2012 TC4". Minor Planet Center. IAU. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser - 2012 TC4". JPL. NASA. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
3. "Glossary: Absolute Magnitude (H)". JPL. NASA. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
4. Bruton, Dan. "Conversion of Absolute Magnitude to Diameter". http://www.physics.sfasu.edu. sfasu.edu. Retrieved 22 October 2014. External link in |website= (help)
5. "Polishook 2013, MPB 40, 42". ADS. Minor Planet Bulletin. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
6. "Close Approach table of 2012 TC4". JPL. NASA. Retrieved 22 October 2014.

External links

• 2012 TC4 at the JPL Small-Body Database

• Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters