153249 (2001 BW15)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 153249 (2001 BW15)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (3.16 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 25,740,946 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

153249 (2001 BW15) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 BW15 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2001 BW15 orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 3.37 AU from the sun. 2001 BW15 is about 3.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

Close Approaches

2001 BW15's orbit is 0.06 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.

2001 BW15 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 26, 2032 25,740,946 28.635
Aug. 22, 2069 13,691,613 26.900
Aug. 25, 2106 19,084,645 27.584
Aug. 22, 2143 13,043,091 26.659

Images and Observations

2001 BW15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 28, 1989. It was last officially observed on July 29, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 364 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 2001 BW15:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.118 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5904
  • Inclination: 41.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 328.89°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 297.96°
  • Mean Anomaly: 46.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 3.16000 km
  • Magnitude: 15.55
  • Albedo: 0.177

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,130 days (3.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.39 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 153249 (2001 BW15) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 BW15 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.