2015 AJ44

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2015 AJ44

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 23,427,027 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 AJ44 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 AJ44 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.

2015 AJ44 orbits the sun every 305 days (0.84 years), coming as close as 0.46 AU and reaching as far as 1.31 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 AJ44 is probably between 0.092 to 0.206 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 AJ44's orbit is 0.07 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 AJ44 has 31 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 16, 2021 23,427,027 18.237
March 18, 2026 16,217,034 15.917
March 19, 2031 14,767,814 13.849
Dec. 17, 2034 23,433,166 11.112
March 17, 2036 19,363,013 12.050
Dec. 13, 2039 15,010,229 12.386
March 13, 2041 26,859,225 10.841
Dec. 12, 2044 9,787,777 14.382
Dec. 13, 2049 15,294,118 16.889
Dec. 17, 2054 27,912,830 19.940
March 14, 2077 28,673,000 19.572
March 18, 2082 18,211,661 16.656
March 19, 2087 14,816,486 13.932
Dec. 16, 2090 22,291,030 11.219
March 17, 2092 20,799,063 11.734
Dec. 13, 2095 12,830,499 12.886
March 11, 2097 29,254,340 10.713
Dec. 13, 2100 10,270,781 15.202
Dec. 16, 2105 18,712,527 17.805
March 17, 2133 25,610,029 18.765
March 19, 2138 16,712,382 16.020
March 21, 2143 15,097,813 13.753
Dec. 18, 2146 22,803,880 11.152
March 19, 2148 19,844,799 11.973
Dec. 15, 2151 15,024,949 12.363
March 15, 2153 26,549,016 10.886
Dec. 13, 2156 9,757,044 14.043
Dec. 14, 2161 12,151,160 16.044
Dec. 17, 2166 21,856,105 18.569
March 18, 2194 22,813,282 18.007
March 20, 2199 15,780,285 15.499

Images and Observations

2015 AJ44's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 14, 2015. It was last officially observed on Jan. 24, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 58 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 AJ44:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.887 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4762
  • Inclination: 6.32°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 117.01°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 192.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 281.09°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.119 km
  • Magnitude: 22.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 305 days (0.84 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.46 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 AJ44 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 AJ44 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.