2015 UG

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 9,123,339 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 UG is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 UG 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 UG orbits the sun every 539 days (1.48 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 1.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 UG is probably between 0.073 to 0.163 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 UG's orbit is 0.06 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 UG has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 10, 2021 9,123,339 11.118
Sept. 2, 2046 26,238,146 7.512
April 16, 2049 16,564,903 8.693
Sept. 5, 2074 15,688,948 9.928
April 6, 2080 18,509,731 13.582
Sept. 11, 2102 18,545,774 12.605
April 12, 2108 9,437,416 10.597
Sept. 5, 2133 18,259,659 9.001
April 25, 2136 26,892,650 7.160
April 6, 2139 23,760,811 14.584
Sept. 9, 2161 15,110,553 11.403
April 11, 2167 11,912,809 12.041
Sept. 11, 2189 19,266,927 12.895
April 14, 2195 9,764,757 10.666

Images and Observations

2015 UG's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 17, 2015. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 45 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 UG:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.296 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3258
  • Inclination: 11.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 7.68°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 262.46°
  • Mean Anomaly: 194.45°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.094 km
  • Magnitude: 22.81

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 539 days (1.48 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 UG 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 UG 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.