SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 SW6

2015 SW6

2015 SW6 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.074 AU it takes 2.99 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 176
Orbital Period · P
2.99 yr
v(q)
37.7 km/s
v(Q)
11.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
3.56
Eccentricity · e
0.5368

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.961 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.187 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.226 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.074 AU gives an orbital period of 2.99 yr, or about 1,091 days.

The high eccentricity (0.537) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.47° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.4 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 = 24.45 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.05 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 176 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.451 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 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
2.074 AU
Eccentricity
0.5368
Perihelion
0.961 AU
Aphelion
3.187323 AU
Inclination
8.47°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
219.78°

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
2027-Aug-08 20:27 0.113406 AU
16965306 km
9.19 km/s
2030-Jul-13 19:02 0.138257 AU
20683010 km
9.73 km/s
2033-Jun-26 14:16 0.168596 AU
25221657 km
11.86 km/s
2036-Jun-15 15:17 0.237427 AU
35518600 km
14.99 km/s
2039-Jun-08 15:46 0.317195 AU
47451733 km
18.03 km/s
2042-May-31 03:55 0.443426 AU
66335566 km
22.05 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
24.45

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.451
Condition
0
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.