Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 24,572,837 km of Earth in 2050
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

514150 (2015 KJ57) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 KJ57 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 KJ57 orbits the sun every 711 days (1.95 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 2.19 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 KJ57 is probably between 0.131 to 0.294 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2015 KJ57's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2015 KJ57 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 9, 2050 24,572,837 13.424
Sept. 12, 2052 11,936,868 7.179
July 13, 2054 24,106,280 13.044
Nov. 9, 2087 22,776,570 13.078
Sept. 9, 2089 11,914,175 7.148
July 13, 2091 25,350,118 13.319
Nov. 10, 2124 23,904,853 13.291
Sept. 11, 2126 11,917,283 7.155
July 13, 2128 24,861,096 13.233
Nov. 7, 2161 16,728,298 11.800
Aug. 28, 2163 11,194,108 7.135
Nov. 11, 2198 23,651,206 13.238

Images and Observations

2015 KJ57's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 18, 2015. It was last officially observed on Feb. 5, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 164 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2015 KJ57:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.559 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4041
  • Inclination: 2.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 14.4°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 336.46°
  • Mean Anomaly: 37.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.170 km
  • Magnitude: 21.53

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 711 days (1.95 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.19 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.93 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 514150 (2015 KJ57) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2015 KJ57 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.