SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 TL178

2015 TL178

2015 TL178 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.094 AU it takes 3.03 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 124
Orbital Period · P
3.03 yr
v(q)
48 km/s
v(Q)
8.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.2 km
TJ
3.4
Eccentricity · e
0.689

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.651 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.537 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.886 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.094 AU gives an orbital period of 3.03 yr, or about 1,107 days.

The high eccentricity (0.689) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 6.65° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 48 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.8 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 = 21.26 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.2 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 124 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5351 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
2.094 AU
Eccentricity
0.689
Perihelion
0.651 AU
Aphelion
3.536766 AU
Inclination
6.65°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
164.64°

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
2028-Feb-06 08:28 0.339024 AU
50717300 km
17.51 km/s
2031-Mar-04 20:12 0.292299 AU
43727264 km
14.80 km/s
2034-Apr-10 02:25 0.128298 AU
19193159 km
16.14 km/s
2037-Apr-20 03:33 0.085325 AU
12764427 km
20.45 km/s
2040-Apr-29 00:30 0.218497 AU
32686620 km
25.28 km/s
2043-May-07 14:48 0.368643 AU
55148240 km
29.86 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
21.26

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.53513
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

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