495615 (2015 PQ291)

Small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 495615 (2015 PQ291)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 27,550,819 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

495615 (2015 PQ291) is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 PQ291 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 PQ291 orbits the sun every 356 days (0.97 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.22 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 PQ291 is probably between 0.763 to 1.706 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.

The rotation of 2015 PQ291 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.75 hours.

Close Approaches

2015 PQ291's orbit is 0.18 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 PQ291 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 13, 2021 27,550,819 16.809
May 13, 2058 27,200,419 16.856
May 11, 2095 28,644,122 17.177
May 14, 2096 28,393,979 16.759
May 12, 2133 28,265,137 17.128
May 16, 2134 28,756,013 16.750
May 13, 2171 27,440,704 16.999

Images and Observations

2015 PQ291's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 13, 2015. It was last officially observed on Aug. 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,082 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 PQ291:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9824 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2375
  • Inclination: 34.6°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 234.39°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 198.97°
  • Mean Anomaly: 291.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.985 km
  • Magnitude: 17.71

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 356 days (0.97 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.02 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.22 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 13.75 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 495615 (2015 PQ291) 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 PQ291 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.