Is 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) potentially hazardous to Earth?

4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) due to its absolute magnitude and minimum orbit intersection distance, passing cleanly at 4.02 Lunar Distances (1,545,288 km) on 2026-10-28.

What kinetic energy would 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) release in a hypothetical impact?

Traveling at 11.90 km/s, 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) carries a hypothetical kinetic energy (E = ½mv²) of 390,922.242 Megatons TNT (1.64e+21 Joules), corresponding to a 22,292m transient crater diameter and a 136.59 km 5-psi overpressure radius.

POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ASTEROID (PHA)GEMMA ENGINE: LOCAL SERVER BOX [ACTIVE] • meteors-gemma:latest

4179 Toutatis (1989 AC)

Tracked by NASA JPL Near-Earth Object Web Service (NeoWs), 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) is a Sq-type (Tumbling Contact Binary) body measuring between 1800m and 2450m in diameter. On 2026-10-28, it completes a cislunar approach at 4.02 Lunar Distances (1,545,288 km) with a relative heliocentric velocity of 11.90 km/s.

Max Diameter (Ø)

2450 m

Min: 1800 m

Miss Distance

4.02 LD

1,545,288 km

Rel. Velocity

11.90 km/s

42,840 km/h

Kinetic Energy

390,922.242 MT

E = ½mv² TNT eq.

Exact Landmark Scale Comparison (2450m)

1:1 Meter Scale

2450m

4179

443m

Manhattan

227m

Golden Gate

330m

Eiffel Tower

828m

Burj Khalifa

Inspect side-by-side in interactive Google Earth 3D Tiles:Open 3D Street-Level Simulator

Kinetic Impact Physics & Orbital Parameters

45° Incidence · 3,000 kg/m³

Absolute Magnitude (H)15.3 mag

Spectral ClassificationSq-type (Tumbling Contact Binary)

Estimated Bolide Mass2.310e+13 kg

Kinetic Energy (E = ½mv²)390,922.242 MT TNT (1.64e+21 J)

Transient Crater Diameter / Depth22,292 m Ø / 4,681 m deep

5-PSI Structural Overpressure Radius136.59 km

Thermal 3rd-Degree Burn Radius549.43 km

Equivalent Seismic MagnitudeMw 8.3

Primary Ephemeris Source:NASA JPL Small-Body Database Lookup

OPTICAL TRACKING REQUIREMENTS // PHOTOMETRIC LINK

TIER B: SMART ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SCOPE

Calculated Apparent Magnitude (Vmag)

Vmag +6.63

Abs. Magnitude H = 15.30

Required Aperture (mm)

50 mm Optical Aperture

Autonomous Plate-Solved Sidereal + Ephemeris Live Stacking (10s subs)

Best Viewing Window

Astronomical Midnight ± 3 Hours (Moon Illumination < 40%)

Target: 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC)

4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) (H = 15.3, Vmag ≈ 6.6) requires plate-solved smart telescope[↗] live-stacking integration beyond naked-eye threshold.

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3D Ephemeris Trajectory Waypoints

Node T+0Lat 12.00° · Lon -140.00°47,000 km

Node T+1Lat 40.00° · Lon -74.00°39,000 km

Node T+2Lat 24.00° · Lon -10.00°51,000 km

Planetary Defense Frequently Asked Questions (Schema.org FAQ)

How big is 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) compared to city landmarks?

4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) has an estimated diameter between 1800m and 2450m. At its upper-bound size of 2450m, it stands 553% as tall as the 443m Empire State Building in New York City and 742% of the 330m Eiffel Tower.

Will 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) impact Earth during its 2026-10-28 approach?

No. NASA JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) orbital solutions confirm 4179 Toutatis (1989 AC) will pass safely at a minimum distance of 4.02 Lunar Distances (1,545,288 km). You can still simulate a hypothetical street-level impact in our 3D CesiumJS simulator.

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