2015 KH157

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 KH157

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.58 km diameter)
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 KH157 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 KH157 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 KH157 orbits the sun every 876 days (2.40 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 2.75 AU from the sun. 2015 KH157 is about 0.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

No Close Approaches

2015 KH157'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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2015 KH157's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 26, 2015. It was last officially observed on Nov. 21, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 118 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 KH157:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.792 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5324
  • Inclination: 21.55°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 89.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 51.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 191.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.58200 km
  • Magnitude: 19.89
  • Albedo: 0.052

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 876 days (2.40 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.25 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 KH157 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2015 KH157 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.