2015 RF277

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Centaur-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 RF277 is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit between Jupiter and Neptune. NASA JPL has not classified 2015 RF277 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2015 RF277 orbits the sun every 37,500 days (102.67 years), coming as close as 10.46 AU and reaching as far as 33.36 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 RF277 is probably between 3.196 to 7.146 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

2015 RF277's orbit is 9.45 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely 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 RF277's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 19, 2015. It was last officially observed on Jan. 28, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 25 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 RF277 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 RF277 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.