Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 18,781,284 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 TE323 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 TE323 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 TE323 orbits the sun every 1,190 days (3.26 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 3.52 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 TE323 is probably between 0.574 to 1.282 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2015 TE323's orbit is 0.03 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 TE323 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 11, 2026 18,781,284 11.122
March 12, 2062 18,314,245 11.149
Feb. 11, 2098 22,642,341 11.103
May 1, 2111 29,441,482 17.942
Jan. 20, 2134 25,427,690 12.694
April 30, 2147 27,672,616 17.513
Jan. 26, 2170 24,196,718 11.948
April 26, 2183 20,026,207 16.122

Images and Observations

2015 TE323's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 6, 2002. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 151 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 TE323:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.201 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5988
  • Inclination: 9.59°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 194.27°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 323.78°
  • Mean Anomaly: 88.26°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.740 km
  • Magnitude: 18.33

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,190 days (3.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.12 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.52 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 TE323 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 TE323 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.