SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 KT121

2015 KT121

2015 KT121 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.146 AU once every 1.23 yr.

Amor Observations: 18
Orbital Period · P
1.23 yr
v(q)
31 km/s
v(Q)
24.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
5.46
Eccentricity · e
0.1095

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.021 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.271 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.25 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.146 AU gives an orbital period of 1.23 yr, or about 448 days.

An eccentricity of 0.11 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 9.9° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 31 km/s at perihelion and falls to 24.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 25.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 18 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6624 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.146 AU
Eccentricity
0.1095
Perihelion
1.021 AU
Aphelion
1.271487 AU
Inclination
9.9°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
294.54°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2031-Jun-08 11:57 0.094888 AU
14195072 km
11.14 km/s
2042-Jun-09 02:52 0.073058 AU
10929256 km
6.05 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
25.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.66239
Condition
7
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Keep exploring

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