SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 RP15

2017 RP15

2017 RP15 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.18 AU it takes 1.28 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 26
Orbital Period · P
1.28 yr
v(q)
33.3 km/s
v(Q)
22.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
5.34
Eccentricity · e
0.1909

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.955 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.405 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.45 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.18 AU gives an orbital period of 1.28 yr, or about 468 days.

An eccentricity of 0.191 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.32° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 22.6 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 = 26.5 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 26 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4451 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
1.18 AU
Eccentricity
0.1909
Perihelion
0.955 AU
Aphelion
1.405262 AU
Inclination
7.32°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
239.79°

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-Mar-11 17:41 0.228844 AU
34234590 km
5.55 km/s
2031-Jun-21 17:07 0.379615 AU
56789651 km
6.28 km/s
2035-Sep-13 08:20 0.215032 AU
32168280 km
14.02 km/s
2041-Jan-31 05:38 0.215499 AU
32238241 km
13.77 km/s
2050-Jan-24 07:37 0.112477 AU
16826269 km
8.46 km/s
2059-Jan-22 18:30 0.114265 AU
17093863 km
4.53 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
26.5

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.44505
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.