SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 PP291

2015 PP291

2015 PP291 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.378 AU it takes 3.67 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 111
Orbital Period · P
3.67 yr
v(q)
55.3 km/s
v(Q)
6.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.78 km
TJ
3
Eccentricity · e
0.7826

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.517 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.239 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.722 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.378 AU gives an orbital period of 3.67 yr, or about 1,339 days.

The high eccentricity (0.783) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 16.51° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 55.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 6.7 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

The measured diameter is 0.44 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

A geometric albedo of 0.568 points to a comparatively bright, reflective surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 111 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5306 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 1 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
2.378 AU
Eccentricity
0.7826
Perihelion
0.517 AU
Aphelion
4.239023 AU
Inclination
16.51°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
311.48°

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
2026-Dec-28 14:54 0.373128 AU
55819121 km
21.38 km/s
2037-Dec-20 06:51 0.406894 AU
60870487 km
22.70 km/s
2048-Dec-18 14:25 0.408650 AU
61133159 km
22.80 km/s
2060-Jan-16 09:41 0.278096 AU
41602581 km
20.41 km/s
2071-Feb-05 04:26 0.202650 AU
30315941 km
24.88 km/s
2074-Jul-16 13:54 0.382031 AU
57150969 km
34.48 km/s

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

Physical Parameters

Diameter
0.439 km
Albedo
0.568
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
18.29

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.53057
Condition
1
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.