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-STARRS at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, on 11 October 2017.
On 19 October 2017, the asteroid transited Earth at a nominal distance of , which corresponds to 0.5 lunar distances (LD). On the following day it also passed near the Moon at . Peaking near a magnitude of 18, the object was too faint to be seen—except for the largest telescopes.
As of 2018, 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 or 5.3 LD from Earth.
See also – A similar small asteroid that passed close to the earth on 12 October 2017
References
External links MPEC 2017-U33 : 2017 TD6, Minor Planet Electronic Circular (MPEC) Near-Earth asteroid 2017 TD6 very close encounter: an image (18 Oct. 2017) Asteroid 2017 TD6 to flyby Earth at 0.5 LD on October 19, 2017, The Watchers, 18 October 2017