511808 (2015 FH120)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 511808 (2015 FH120)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.75 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 19,791,528 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

511808 (2015 FH120) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 FH120 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 FH120 orbits the sun every 1,060 days (2.90 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 3.28 AU from the sun. 2015 FH120 is about 0.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2015 FH120's orbit is 0.13 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 FH120 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 23, 2020 19,791,528 15.557
Jan. 24, 2108 29,003,053 13.175
Oct. 21, 2110 20,850,976 16.279
Dec. 27, 2139 29,187,719 13.599
Nov. 27, 2171 24,975,082 13.433

Images and Observations

2015 FH120's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 26, 2015. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,271 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 FH120:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.038 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6098
  • Inclination: 11.09°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 71.44°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 15.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 345.28°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.74600 km
  • Magnitude: 18.67
  • Albedo: 0.105

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,060 days (2.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 511808 (2015 FH120) 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 FH120 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.