471323 (2011 KW15)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 471323 (2011 KW15)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 24,827,040 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

471323 (2011 KW15) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 KW15 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 KW15 orbits the sun every 462 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.59 AU and reaching as far as 1.75 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 KW15 is probably between 0.352 to 0.787 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2011 KW15's orbit is 0.04 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.

2011 KW15 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 6, 2032 24,827,040 16.988
July 7, 2035 20,033,329 16.524
June 30, 2054 6,561,093 19.564
Jan. 20, 2056 20,980,991 22.064
June 23, 2073 23,959,542 23.156
Jan. 11, 2075 17,173,550 18.606
July 3, 2097 10,793,429 17.984
Jan. 24, 2099 29,596,603 23.937
June 29, 2116 10,367,756 20.671
Jan. 18, 2118 17,157,469 20.892
Jan. 9, 2137 21,664,080 17.611
July 9, 2140 23,861,594 15.961
July 3, 2159 6,958,505 18.766
Jan. 23, 2161 25,586,829 23.053
June 28, 2178 12,300,214 21.071
Jan. 18, 2180 16,629,718 20.583
June 23, 2197 28,405,369 23.957
Jan. 11, 2199 19,819,123 18.031

Images and Observations

2011 KW15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 26, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 12, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 103 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 2011 KW15:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.17 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4938
  • Inclination: 23.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 283.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 97.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 191.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.454 km
  • Magnitude: 19.39

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 462 days (1.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.55 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.59 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 471323 (2011 KW15) 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 2011 KW15 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.