Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,954,778 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 JD1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 JD1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 JD1 orbits the sun every 491 days (1.34 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.49 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 JD1 is probably between 0.201 to 0.449 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2015 JD1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.21 hours.

Close Approaches

2015 JD1's orbit is 0.02 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 JD1 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 3, 2019 4,954,778 11.929
Nov. 1, 2058 5,126,749 11.266
Nov. 9, 2062 22,728,742 14.161
Oct. 27, 2101 19,203,724 10.446
Nov. 5, 2105 7,408,459 12.230
Oct. 30, 2144 11,102,430 10.806
Nov. 8, 2148 16,921,245 13.375
Oct. 31, 2187 11,913,032 10.759
Nov. 8, 2191 14,930,632 13.119

Images and Observations

2015 JD1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 11, 2015. It was last officially observed on July 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 579 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 JD1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.218 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2225
  • Inclination: 19.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 221.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 128.11°
  • Mean Anomaly: 345.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.259 km
  • Magnitude: 20.61

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 491 days (1.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.49 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.95 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.21 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 JD1 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 JD1 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.