SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 QT3

2015 QT3

2015 QT3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.154 AU it takes 3.16 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 155
Orbital Period · P
3.16 yr
v(q)
60.9 km/s
v(Q)
6.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
3.19
Eccentricity · e
0.7999

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.431 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.877 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.446 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.154 AU gives an orbital period of 3.16 yr, or about 1,155 days.

The high eccentricity (0.8) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 5.06° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 60.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 6.8 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

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 24 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 155 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.326 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 4 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
2.154 AU
Eccentricity
0.7999
Perihelion
0.431 AU
Aphelion
3.876985 AU
Inclination
5.06°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
133.92°

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
2034-Aug-17 01:46 0.234026 AU
35009831 km
32.94 km/s
2041-Mar-07 20:26 0.310493 AU
46449040 km
16.75 km/s
2056-Oct-22 05:27 0.460377 AU
68871393 km
20.47 km/s
2060-Jan-23 19:22 0.494747 AU
74013025 km
24.35 km/s
2063-Apr-17 11:22 0.372073 AU
55661288 km
37.22 km/s
2075-Sep-15 00:42 0.266061 AU
39802116 km
17.78 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
24.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.32599
Condition
4
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.