Toutatis

Its next notable close approach is on 2069-Nov-05, when it passes about 7.7 lunar distances from Earth — roughly 2,969,321 km. Toutatis is currently about 1418 lunar distances away — the live orbit and distance are shown above.

No impact is predicted. Toutatis is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, which means its orbit brings it relatively close to Earth — but classification is about proximity, not an impending collision. Its trajectory is continuously refined as new observations are gathered, and predicted close approaches are calculated decades ahead. Its live position and orbit are shown above.

Toutatis is estimated at about 2.8 km across — about the size of a small mountain. Size estimates are derived from how bright the asteroid appears and refined by radar and thermal measurements when it passes close to Earth.

Toutatis is Apollo (Earth-crossing) object. It orbits the Sun once every 4.05 years, on an elliptical path that reaches beyond Earth’s orbit and swings back toward the Sun. The interactive orbit diagram above shows where it is right now.

Yes — Chang’e 2. China’s Chang’e 2 probe flew past Toutatis in 2012. Explore more spacecraft and missions.

Most of the time Toutatis is far too faint to see, but during a close approach it can brighten enough for amateur telescopes, and the largest near-Earth asteroids occasionally reach binocular range. Check the close-approach date above, then plan your night with our sky and space-weather tools.