2011 OR15

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2011 OR15

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,853,003 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 OR15 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 OR15 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 OR15 orbits the sun every 778 days (2.13 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 2.39 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 OR15 is probably between 0.168 to 0.375 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2011 OR15's orbit is 0.04 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.

2011 OR15 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 5, 2028 12,853,003 7.420
Dec. 19, 2045 17,756,525 11.559
Sept. 7, 2060 10,171,209 10.806
Nov. 3, 2077 15,989,791 7.365
Dec. 22, 2094 19,723,859 12.123
Sept. 6, 2109 14,603,491 11.783
Oct. 19, 2126 14,929,637 7.311
Dec. 20, 2143 15,573,463 10.951
Sept. 4, 2158 18,698,223 12.661
Oct. 20, 2175 15,090,232 7.315
Dec. 23, 2192 18,676,733 11.856

Images and Observations

2011 OR15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 26, 2011. It was last officially observed on Feb. 22, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 77 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 2011 OR15:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.656 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4431
  • Inclination: 5.01°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 146.09°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 251.09°
  • Mean Anomaly: 214.58°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.217 km
  • Magnitude: 21.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 778 days (2.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2011 OR15 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 2011 OR15 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.