2015 EQ

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 6,872,899 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 EQ is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 EQ 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 EQ orbits the sun every 200 days (0.55 years), coming as close as 0.33 AU and reaching as far as 1.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 EQ is probably between 0.016 to 0.036 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 EQ's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2015 EQ has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2015 EQ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 11, 2015. It was last officially observed on March 15, 2015. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 37 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 EQ:

• 138127 (2000 EE14)
• 364136 (2006 CJ)
• 437844 (1999 MN)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 EQ 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.