A Hungarian amateur astronomer has discovered a previously unknown asteroid that comes close to Earth’s orbit, marking his eighth discovery. The find was officially recognised by the Minor Planet Center just one day after the object was observed.
Eighth asteroid discovery for Hungarian astronomer
According to the Hungarian astronomy news portal csillagaszat.hu, amateur astronomer Tamás Maróti spotted the asteroid during the night of 13 October 2026.
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) officially recognised the discovery the following day, publishing it in circular MPEC 2026-T244 and assigning the asteroid the provisional designation 2026 TM77.
Twelve observatories from the international astronomical community immediately joined efforts to validate the discovery. They submitted follow-up observations to the MPC, confirming that the object was real and followed a predictable orbit. Astronomer Tamás Elek also captured a confirming image of the asteroid.
What do we know about asteroid 2026 TM77?
At the time of its discovery, the asteroid had an apparent magnitude of around 19 and was moving across the sky at an apparent rate of 20 arcseconds per minute.
Its orbital plane is inclined at 7.77 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit. Based on the data available so far, 2026 TM77 takes approximately 2.86 years to complete one orbit around the Sun.
The asteroid reached its closest point to the Sun, known as perihelion, on 24 September 2026, at a distance of 0.995 astronomical units (AU). At its most distant point, or aphelion, it travels approximately 3.034 AU from the Sun.
One astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 150 million kilometres.
The announcement also confirmed that 2026 TM77 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, one of the largest and most significant categories of near-Earth objects. These asteroids are characterised by orbits that cross Earth’s orbit.
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Why the discovery is a remarkable achievement
The report highlights Maróti’s remarkable perseverance. Systematic asteroid searches require observers to spend every clear night collecting observations over many months, often without finding a single new object despite examining thousands upon thousands of images.
The challenge has become even greater as professional sky-survey programmes have covered almost the entire observable sky, leaving amateur astronomers with fewer opportunities to make new discoveries.
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