2017 RZ15

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 4,564,680 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 RZ15 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 RZ15 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.

2017 RZ15 orbits the sun every 342 days (0.94 years), coming as close as 0.71 AU and reaching as far as 1.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 RZ15 is probably between 0.007 to 0.030 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 RZ15's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2017 RZ15 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 29 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2017 RZ15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 15, 2017. It was last officially observed on Sept. 18, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 9 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 RZ15 can be reached with a journey of 402 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.793 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 78,216 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 RZ15.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 RZ15:

• 2062 Aten (1976 AA)
• 5381 Sekhmet (1991 JY)
• 68347 (2001 KB67)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 RZ15 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.