2015 PM

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,361,532 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2015 PM orbits the sun every 546 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 0.48 AU and reaching as far as 2.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 PM is probably between 0.216 to 0.483 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2015 PM's orbit is 0.01 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 PM has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 14, 2024 23,361,532 16.550
Aug. 12, 2027 17,295,205 18.203
Aug. 9, 2030 14,255,355 19.815
Aug. 6, 2033 15,851,070 21.533
Aug. 2, 2036 21,448,814 23.299
July 31, 2039 29,428,904 25.205
March 23, 2071 22,193,999 24.601
March 19, 2074 11,067,053 22.358
March 16, 2077 1,905,296 20.354
March 14, 2080 5,805,152 19.111
March 12, 2083 15,048,106 17.286
March 9, 2086 25,271,675 15.312
Aug. 16, 2145 23,001,480 16.593
Aug. 12, 2148 15,416,092 18.822
Aug. 9, 2151 14,280,388 20.905
Aug. 5, 2154 20,277,722 23.074
March 24, 2189 20,288,971 24.249
March 21, 2192 10,902,662 22.370
March 19, 2195 3,121,842 20.796
March 18, 2198 1,236,015 20.169

Images and Observations

2015 PM's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 6, 2015. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 108 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 PM:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.308 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.633
  • Inclination: 7.46°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 181.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 244.28°
  • Mean Anomaly: 103.07°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.279 km
  • Magnitude: 20.45

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 546 days (1.49 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.48 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 PM 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 PM 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.