About 2009 TM8
2009 TM8 is a rare neo. It swings within 0.922 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
Rare neo 49 EP
2009 TM8
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
This object moves — fetching its current position…
Score breakdown
· 5 badgesRare 50 pts → Epic
- Spinning past the rubble-pile limit +22
- Passes within two lunar distances of Earth's orbit +18
- Near-Earth object +5
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit +4
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 49
1 more point to reach Epic.
Badges
- Near-Earth object · +5
- Catalogue designation only
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit · +4
- Spinning past the rubble-pile limit · +22
- Passes within two lunar distances of Earth's orbit · +18
Trivia
What it actually is
- Its orbit family. An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
- Closest approach. At its nearest it comes within 0.92 AU of the Sun — inside the orbit of Earth.
- One lap. A single orbit around the Sun takes it about 1.9 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 0.92 and 2.18 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is about 0.1 football pitches across.
Standing on it
- Don't jump. Escape velocity here is only around 0 m/s. A determined jump would launch you off it and into your own orbit around the Sun.
By the numbers
- Estimated size. Nobody has measured its size directly. Assuming it reflects light like a typical asteroid, its brightness implies something roughly 7 metres across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- aphelion au
- 2.18
- designation
- 2009 TM8
- eccentricity
- 0.406
- full name
- (2009 TM8)
- h mag
- 28.4
- inclination
- 2.47
- mean motion deg day
- 0.5099
- moid au
- 0.0012
- name
- 2009 TM8
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- APO
- perihelion au
- 0.922
- rotation period h
- 0.012
- semi major au
- 1.552
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, 2009 TM8 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. Because it moves against the background stars, the live position panel on this page tracks where it is right now. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why 2009 TM8 is a rare neo
2009 TM8 scores 49 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 1 point would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Near-Earth object, Catalogue designation only, Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit, Spinning past the rubble-pile limit and Passes within two lunar distances of Earth's orbit — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.