2001 BX15 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 BX15 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 BX15 orbits the sun every 975 days (2.67 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 3.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 BX15 is probably between 0.127 to 0.284 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.
2001 BX15's orbit is 0.08 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 BX15 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Feb. 3, 2025 | 18,251,119 | 13.602 |
Feb. 8, 2033 | 23,504,407 | 12.433 |
Feb. 11, 2041 | 26,762,079 | 11.914 |
Feb. 8, 2049 | 24,044,731 | 12.363 |
Feb. 8, 2057 | 23,692,832 | 12.437 |
Feb. 8, 2065 | 24,212,409 | 12.389 |
Feb. 3, 2073 | 18,100,528 | 13.782 |
Jan. 30, 2081 | 13,804,822 | 15.188 |
Jan. 29, 2089 | 13,371,336 | 15.635 |
Jan. 24, 2097 | 15,743,979 | 17.880 |
Jan. 19, 2105 | 29,905,330 | 21.349 |
June 26, 2174 | 17,990,173 | 18.933 |
June 22, 2182 | 12,004,657 | 17.335 |
June 24, 2190 | 14,272,611 | 18.115 |
June 26, 2198 | 17,131,083 | 18.786 |
2001 BX15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 18, 2001. It was last officially observed on Jan. 28, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 104 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2001 BX15 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2001 BX15 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.