Asteroid 2017 TH5 to flyby Earth at 0.26 LD on October 16, 2017
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 TH5 will flyby Earth at a very close distance of 0.26 LD (~99 840 km / 62 073 miles) from the surface of our planet at 17:15 UTC on October 16, 2017.
This asteroid, first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on October 15, 2017, belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. Its estimated diameter is between 6.3 and 14 m (20 and 45 feet).
2017 TH5's closest approach is expected at 17:15 UTC at a speed of (relative to the Earth) of 12.06 km/s. The flyby comes 4 days after long-awaited asteroid 2012 TC4 and 6 days after 2017 TF5 which flew past Earth 4 days before it was discovered.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
This is the 39th known near-Earth asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 10th closest. The closest flyby so far this year occurred on April 4, 2017 at just 0.04 LD (~15 360 km / 9 544 miles).
References:
Asteroid 2017 TH5 at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS
Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one-hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is gray. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center
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