2015 XE352

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 XE352

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 17,938,262 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 XE352 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 XE352 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 XE352 orbits the sun every 564 days (1.54 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 1.85 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 XE352 is probably between 0.113 to 0.505 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2015 XE352 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.92 hours.

Close Approaches

2015 XE352's orbit is 0.02 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 XE352 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 18, 2021 17,938,262 8.028
April 3, 2035 16,744,215 14.250
Sept. 17, 2041 28,778,116 16.531
May 8, 2055 21,278,276 8.142
Aug. 31, 2058 9,213,410 9.410
March 31, 2072 23,025,076 15.495
Sept. 12, 2078 14,762,691 13.704
April 5, 2092 10,229,928 12.926
Sept. 13, 2098 17,338,962 14.205
May 25, 2115 26,190,346 8.745
Aug. 30, 2118 11,606,724 8.889
April 6, 2135 13,571,212 13.589
June 16, 2138 29,909,492 9.510
Sept. 7, 2141 4,732,121 10.860
April 6, 2158 12,360,037 13.326
June 15, 2161 29,854,045 9.494
Sept. 5, 2164 5,451,906 10.359
May 13, 2184 22,827,257 8.221
Aug. 11, 2187 21,865,256 7.998

Images and Observations

2015 XE352's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 6, 2015. It was last officially observed on Nov. 6, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 432 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2015 XE352 can be reached with a journey of 394 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.949 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2015 XE352.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2015 XE352:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.335 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.389
  • Inclination: 2.05°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 45.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 225.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 149.87°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.309 km
  • Magnitude: 20.94

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 564 days (1.54 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.92 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 XE352 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 XE352 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.