2015 FM34

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 FM34

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 8,453,350 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 FM34 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 FM34 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 FM34 orbits the sun every 1,100 days (3.01 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 3.28 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 FM34 is probably between 0.084 to 0.189 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 FM34's orbit is 0.05 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 FM34 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 9, 2021 8,453,350 10.785
March 12, 2024 7,423,977 11.066
March 17, 2027 7,219,399 11.745
March 21, 2030 9,568,901 12.746
March 26, 2033 15,090,313 14.244
March 31, 2036 23,729,180 16.108
April 10, 2144 27,473,846 17.981
April 4, 2147 15,225,210 15.205
March 26, 2150 8,979,396 12.706
March 22, 2153 9,921,668 12.003
March 5, 2156 16,413,606 10.886
Feb. 15, 2159 20,497,984 11.009
Jan. 25, 2162 20,681,105 11.027
Jan. 17, 2165 19,386,148 10.880
Dec. 29, 2167 13,998,496 11.148
Dec. 16, 2170 10,361,826 12.811
Dec. 6, 2173 18,157,136 15.711
Dec. 3, 2176 24,421,872 17.123

Images and Observations

2015 FM34's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 18, 2015. It was last officially observed on April 24, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 89 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 FM34:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.082 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5769
  • Inclination: 4.69°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 140.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 350.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 310.41°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.109 km
  • Magnitude: 22.49

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,100 days (3.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 FM34 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 FM34 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.