SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 MC

2015 MC

2015 MC belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.067 AU it takes 1.10 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 121
Orbital Period · P
1.10 yr
v(q)
37.7 km/s
v(Q)
22 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
5.75
Eccentricity · e
0.2624

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.787 AU) and its farthest (1.347 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.56 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.10 yr (403 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.067 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.262 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 1.74° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 22 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 = 24.11 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.05 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 121 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4211 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
1.067 AU
Eccentricity
0.2624
Perihelion
0.787 AU
Aphelion
1.346981 AU
Inclination
1.74°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
58.39°

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
2045-Dec-04 08:18 0.111979 AU
16751887 km
11.05 km/s
2047-Apr-09 07:35 0.190688 AU
28526590 km
6.98 km/s
2056-Dec-09 13:59 0.010457 AU
1564306 km
7.68 km/s
2058-May-07 23:45 0.147375 AU
22046981 km
5.30 km/s
2067-Dec-14 12:06 0.064521 AU
9652235 km
5.71 km/s
2069-Jun-03 10:12 0.087868 AU
13144920 km
5.14 km/s
2079-Jan-11 10:03 0.142149 AU
21265227 km
5.16 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
24.11

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.4211
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.