2002 CN15

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 CN15

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 22,219,054 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 CN15 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 CN15 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.

2002 CN15 orbits the sun every 557 days (1.52 years), coming as close as 0.40 AU and reaching as far as 2.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 CN15 is probably between 0.184 to 0.411 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 CN15'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.

2002 CN15 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 25, 2026 22,219,054 26.644
Feb. 17, 2031 20,968,855 27.390
March 1, 2034 27,289,960 18.486
Oct. 16, 2055 24,939,249 19.681
Oct. 28, 2058 29,439,840 28.553
Feb. 20, 2063 13,342,875 25.469
Oct. 17, 2087 21,982,308 20.468
Feb. 21, 2095 12,553,388 25.207
Oct. 17, 2119 25,406,458 19.588
Oct. 29, 2122 28,252,845 28.239
Feb. 21, 2127 16,275,379 26.202
Oct. 27, 2154 22,555,026 26.695
Feb. 19, 2159 23,086,665 27.809
March 2, 2162 24,007,762 19.208
Oct. 25, 2186 18,317,715 25.252
Feb. 17, 2191 29,283,500 29.220
March 1, 2194 18,309,157 20.444

Images and Observations

2002 CN15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 27, 2002. It was last officially observed on Nov. 24, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 83 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 2002 CN15:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.324 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6959
  • Inclination: 6.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 298.56°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 332.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 14.33°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.237 km
  • Magnitude: 20.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 557 days (1.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.40 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 CN15 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 2002 CN15 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.