SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 FA15

2016 FA15

2016 FA15 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.171 AU it takes 1.27 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 19
Orbital Period · P
1.27 yr
v(q)
76.9 km/s
v(Q)
9.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.09 km
TJ
5.03
Eccentricity · e
0.7724

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.266 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.075 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.809 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.171 AU gives an orbital period of 1.27 yr, or about 463 days.

The high eccentricity (0.772) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 14.28° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 76.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.9 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 = 22.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.09 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 19 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2688 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
1.171 AU
Eccentricity
0.7724
Perihelion
0.266 AU
Aphelion
2.07548 AU
Inclination
14.28°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
316.7°

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-Jan-07 09:20 0.333834 AU
49940820 km
18.01 km/s
2030-Apr-09 10:32 0.140240 AU
20979624 km
31.62 km/s
2033-Jan-15 01:58 0.215309 AU
32209718 km
28.24 km/s
2035-Apr-21 14:53 0.153429 AU
22952709 km
20.87 km/s
2038-Feb-01 02:39 0.350529 AU
52438435 km
40.61 km/s
2047-Jan-07 11:36 0.236970 AU
35450176 km
17.86 km/s
2054-Apr-21 08:31 0.124677 AU
18651372 km
21.15 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
22.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.26881
Condition
7
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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