2015 KJ19

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 KJ19

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 5,768,748 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 KJ19 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 KJ19 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 KJ19 orbits the sun every 1,100 days (3.01 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 3.63 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 KJ19 is probably between 0.084 to 0.188 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 KJ19's orbit is 0.04 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 KJ19 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 14, 2021 5,768,748 23.040
May 14, 2024 6,042,704 23.104
May 16, 2027 8,716,041 23.934
May 18, 2030 13,925,718 25.073
May 19, 2033 17,963,346 25.989
May 21, 2036 23,411,663 27.056
May 23, 2039 28,310,806 28.079
May 24, 2087 23,723,642 27.524
May 21, 2090 16,966,200 26.118
May 19, 2093 9,446,379 24.667
May 14, 2096 7,078,041 22.167
May 10, 2099 17,775,352 19.771
Nov. 8, 2128 20,005,365 19.802
Oct. 26, 2131 18,541,787 27.127
June 1, 2170 28,065,279 29.572
May 11, 2173 28,615,499 18.527
Nov. 3, 2184 12,721,600 21.975

Images and Observations

2015 KJ19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 20, 2015. It was last officially observed on June 12, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 204 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 KJ19:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.081 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7448
  • Inclination: 2.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 106.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 30.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 295.31°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.109 km
  • Magnitude: 22.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,100 days (3.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.63 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.53 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 KJ19 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 KJ19 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.