2015 CX12

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 CX12

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.18 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 15,384,976 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 CX12 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 CX12 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 CX12 orbits the sun every 1,030 days (2.82 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 3.22 AU from the sun. 2015 CX12 is about 0.2 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2015 CX12 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 12.20 hours.

Close Approaches

2015 CX12's orbit is 0.03 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 CX12 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 1, 2032 15,384,976 16.237
Jan. 29, 2049 13,881,647 15.453
Jan. 21, 2066 16,807,330 12.969
Jan. 17, 2083 18,716,502 12.280
Jan. 5, 2100 24,952,508 11.488
Sept. 27, 2133 6,867,298 13.977
Sept. 22, 2150 5,208,919 15.705
Feb. 2, 2165 14,116,596 15.959
Nov. 2, 2198 28,012,224 12.113

Images and Observations

2015 CX12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 27, 2015. It was last officially observed on March 13, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 176 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 CX12:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.002 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6099
  • Inclination: 5.74°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 227.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 30.09°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.18400 km
  • Magnitude: 20.0
  • Albedo: 0.533

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,030 days (2.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.22 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU
  • Rotation Period: 12.20 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 CX12 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 CX12 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.