SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 US51

2015 US51

2015 US51 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.319 AU once every 3.53 yr.

Amor Observations: 227
Orbital Period · P
3.53 yr
v(q)
35.8 km/s
v(Q)
10.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.12 km
TJ
3.37
Eccentricity · e
0.5397

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.067 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.571 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.504 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.319 AU gives an orbital period of 3.53 yr, or about 1,290 days.

The high eccentricity (0.54) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.31° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.7 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 = 22.4 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.12 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 227 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3284 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 5 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
2.319 AU
Eccentricity
0.5397
Perihelion
1.067 AU
Aphelion
3.570564 AU
Inclination
3.31°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
6.62°

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
2068-Aug-21 07:05 0.322797 AU
48289736 km
16.53 km/s
2075-Sep-18 00:30 0.079777 AU
11934417 km
7.59 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
22.4

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.32844
Condition
5
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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