Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 441,617 km of Earth in 2019
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2015 EG is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 EG 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 EG orbits the sun every 293 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.56 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 EG is probably between 0.013 to 0.059 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
The rotation of 2015 EG has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 1.29 hours.
Close Approaches
2015 EG's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2015 EG has 41 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 2019 | 441,617 | 9.631 |
| March 4, 2023 | 5,326,300 | 10.618 |
| March 5, 2027 | 15,386,736 | 12.705 |
| March 8, 2031 | 26,829,457 | 15.119 |
| June 4, 2044 | 20,756,154 | 13.536 |
| June 5, 2048 | 12,106,053 | 11.580 |
| June 6, 2052 | 6,943,834 | 9.920 |
| June 5, 2056 | 7,774,753 | 8.739 |
| June 1, 2060 | 12,031,741 | 7.743 |
| May 24, 2064 | 17,312,572 | 7.220 |
| May 13, 2068 | 21,704,928 | 7.282 |
| May 1, 2072 | 24,478,247 | 7.485 |
| April 20, 2076 | 25,296,299 | 7.581 |
| April 8, 2080 | 24,255,249 | 7.529 |
| March 29, 2084 | 21,542,356 | 7.374 |
| March 18, 2088 | 17,398,461 | 7.274 |
| March 10, 2092 | 12,316,657 | 7.534 |
| March 6, 2096 | 7,211,028 | 8.214 |
| March 5, 2100 | 2,957,389 | 8.973 |
| March 6, 2104 | 5,592,961 | 8.497 |
| March 9, 2108 | 10,507,080 | 7.740 |
| March 17, 2112 | 15,994,072 | 7.305 |
| March 25, 2116 | 19,870,546 | 7.328 |
| April 3, 2120 | 22,780,005 | 7.482 |
| April 13, 2124 | 24,515,852 | 7.596 |
| April 22, 2128 | 24,945,229 | 7.595 |
| May 3, 2132 | 23,888,208 | 7.473 |
| May 13, 2136 | 21,260,370 | 7.290 |
| May 25, 2140 | 16,783,652 | 7.262 |
| June 1, 2144 | 12,271,478 | 7.734 |
| June 4, 2148 | 8,516,636 | 8.530 |
| June 5, 2152 | 6,751,977 | 9.401 |
| June 5, 2156 | 8,076,432 | 10.431 |
| June 5, 2160 | 13,647,144 | 11.955 |
| June 4, 2164 | 21,547,952 | 13.736 |
| March 8, 2179 | 24,706,660 | 14.701 |
| March 6, 2183 | 14,727,202 | 12.594 |
| March 5, 2187 | 6,444,621 | 10.858 |
| March 5, 2191 | 1,421,783 | 9.864 |
| March 6, 2195 | 13,994,595 | 12.426 |
| March 9, 2199 | 28,263,649 | 15.443 |
Images and Observations
2015 EG's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 2, 2011. It was last officially observed on March 10, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 151 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2015 EG can be reached with a journey of 346 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.789 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 4,840 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2015 EG.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2015 EG:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.8635 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.356
- Inclination: 2.5°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 167.62°
- Argument of Periapsis: 223.69°
- Mean Anomaly: 329.51°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.036 km
- Magnitude: 25.61
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 293 days (0.80 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.06 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.56 AU
- Rotation Period: 1.29 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2015 EG 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 EG 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.
