1 day / second

0.5 AU

4179 Toutatis

Asteroid

A large, elongated, and irregularly shaped asteroid that tumbles chaotically through space while making frequent close approaches to Earth, notable for its complex rotation and unusual peanut-like shape.

Key Facts

orbital regime

Inner System

learn more

Wikipedia

mass

1.9000e+13 kg

radius

1.225 km

hill radius

206.879 km

semi-major axis

2.532 AU

eccentricity

0.629

inclination

0.446º

longitude of the ascending node

124.3º

argument of periapsis

278.75º

orbital period

4.029 years

discovery date

January 4, 1989

discovered by

Christian Pollas at Côte d'Azur Observatory, Caussols

name origins

Named after Teutates, a Celtic god

dimensions

5.4 kilometers in diameter

material composition

S-type asteroid

density

2.1 g/cm³

albedo

0.13
Spacecraft Visits
Chang'e 2

Flyby

CNSA

Launched in 2010, visited in 2012

Chang'e 2 completed a close flyby of asteroid Toutatis on December 13, 2012, capturing detailed images from just 3.2 kilometers away while traveling at a relative speed of 10.73 kilometers per second.

Other Asteroids
Eros
Gaspra
Šteins
Nereus
Annefrank
Braille