List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2015

Asteroids which came closer to Earth than the Moon in 2015 by time of discovery Below is the list of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2015.

Timeline of known close approaches less than one lunar distance from Earth in 2015 A list of known near-Earth asteroid close approaches less than 1 lunar distance (384,400 km or 0.00257 AU) from Earth in 2015, based on the close approach database of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

The CNEOS database of close approaches lists some close approaches a full orbit or more before the discovery of the object, derived by orbit calculation. The list below only includes close approaches that are evidenced by observations, thus the pre-discovery close approaches would only be included if the object was found by precovery, but there was no such close approach in 2015.

This list and relevant databases do not consider impacts as close approaches, thus this list does not include any of the 43 objects that collided with Earth's atmosphere in 2015, none of which were discovered in advance, but were observed visually or recorded by sensors designed to detect detonation of nuclear devices.NASA.gov

Date ofclosestapproach Datediscovered Object Nominal geocentricdistance (AU)Distance from the center of Earth to the center of the object. See the NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics Glossary: Geocentric. Earth has a radius of approximately 6,400 km.Nominal geocentricdistance (LD)Size (m)(approximate)(H)(abs. mag.) Closerapproachto Moon Refs2015-01-14 2015-01-15 0.41 6.7–15 28.0 2015-01-18 2015-01-27 0.62 12–27 26.7 Yes 2015-01-20 2015-01-21 0.42 5.1–11 28.6 2015-02-11 2015-02-12 0.73 5.1–11 28.6 2015-02-17 2015-02-18 0.10 2.2–4.9 30.4 2015-02-18 2015-02-19 0.28 3.7–8.2 29.3 2015-03-10 2015-03-11 0.33 12–27 26.7 2015-03-12 2015-03-11 0.28 2.4–5.4 30.2 2015-03-16 2015-03-17 0.99 1.7–3.8 31.0 2015-03-28 2015-03-25 0.92 4.8–11 28.7 2015-04-12 2015-04-11 2015 GU 0.29 5.6–12 28.4 2015-04-14 2015-04-16 0.86 4.8–11 28.7 Yes 2015-04-16 2015-04-15 0.48 4.6–10 28.8 Yes 2015-04-21 2015-04-18 0.15 8.8–20 27.4 2015-05-15 2015-05-12 0.81 6.4–14 28.1 Yes 2015-05-23 2015-05-25 0.74 16–36 26.1 2015-06-08 2015-06-07 2015 LF 0.51 13–28 26.6 2015-08-06 2015-08-07 2015 PK 0.21 6.3–14 28.1 2015-09-22 2015-09-24 0.07 4.4–9.9 28.9 2015-10-13 2015-10-11 0.29 3.6–8.12 29.3 2015-10-22 2015-10-24 0.34 7.3–16 27.8 2015-11-05 2015-11-07 0.73 5.8–13 28.3 Yes 2015-11-06 2015-11-08 0.26 2–4.5 30.6 2015-11-15 2015-11-14 0.09 4.2–9.4 29.0 2015-11-20 2015-11-21 0.60 2.5–5.7 30.1 Yes 2015-12-13 2015-12-16 0.19 6.1–14 28.2 2015-12-15 2015-12-06 0.75 9.7–22 27.2

Warning times by size This sub-section visualises the warning times of the close approaches listed in the above table, depending on the size of the asteroid. The sizes of the charts show the relative sizes of the asteroids to scale. For comparison, the approximate size of a person is also shown. This is based the absolute magnitude of each asteroid, an approximate measure of size based on brightness.

Absolute magnitude H ≥ 30 (smallest) (size of a person for comparison)

Absolute magnitude 30 > H ≥ 29

Absolute magnitude 29 > H ≥ 28

Absolute magnitude 28 > H ≥ 27

Absolute magnitude 27 > H ≥ 26

Absolute magnitude 26 > H ≥ 25

None

Absolute magnitude 25 > H (largest)

None

Notes

Additional examples

An example list of near-Earth asteroids that passed more than 1 lunar distance (384,400 km or 0.00256 AU) from Earth in 2015. (~50 meters in diameter) passed 5.57 lunar distances from Earth on 18 January 2015. (~60 meters in diameter) passed 1.64 lunar distances from Earth (1.50 lunar distances from the Moon) on 20 January 2015. (~700 meters in diameter) passed 3.1 lunar distances (1.2 million km) from Earth on 26 January 2015. (~70 meters in diameter) passed from Earth on 15 February 2015. (~500 meters in diameter) passed 11.7 lunar distances (4 million km) from Earth on 2015 Mar 27. (~110 meters in diameter) passed 3.6 lunar distances (1.38 million km) (3.2 lunar distances from the Moon) (1.21 million km) on 1 April 2015. (~80 meters in diameter) passed 1.15 lunar distances (440,000 km) (1.08 lunar distances from the Moon) (410,000 km) on 7 July 2015. (~15 meters in diameter) passed 1.005 lunar distances (390,000 km) on 7 October 2015 2014 UR (~20 meters in diameter) passed 3.81 lunar distances (1.46 million km) from Earth on 18 October 2015. (~600 meters in diameter) passed 1.3 lunar distances (480,000 km) (0.74 lunar distances from the Moon) (286,000 km) on 31 October 2015. (~6 meters in diameter) passed 1.02 lunar distances (393,000 km) (0.85 lunar distances from the Moon) (327,000 km) on 24 November 2015 Risk-listed asteroid (~60 meters in diameter) was not observed when it probably passed roughly from Earth on 27 November 2015. 2015 YB initially calculated to make a close approach to Earth on 19 December 2015 turned out to be a much further away inner main-belt asteroid. On 31 December 2015 the asteroid received the designation .

Timeline of close approaches less than one Lunar distance from the Moon in 2015 The number of asteroids listed here are significantly less than those of asteroids approaching Earth for several reasons: Asteroids approaching Earth not only move faster, but are brighter and are easier to detect with modern surveys due to these factors Asteroids approaching closer to Earth are higher priority to confirm, and only confirmed asteroids are listed with a lunocentric approach distance Those which make close approaches to the Moon are frequently lost in its glare, making them harder to confirm, and are more easily discovered during the new Moon, when the Moon is too close to the Sun for any asteroids to be detected while they are near to the Moon anyway.

These factors combined severely limit the amount of Moon-approaching asteroids, to a level many times lower than the detected asteroids to pass just as close to Earth instead. Date ofclosestapproach Object Nominal lunocentricdistance (AU)Distance from the center of the Moon to the center of the object. the Moon has a radius of approximately 1,740 km. Nominal lunocentricdistance (LD)Size (m)(approximate) (H) approachdistanceto Earth (LD) 2015-01-12 0.82 7–22 27.5 1.43 2015-01-18 0.32 10–31 26.7 0.62 2015-02-16 0.69 2–5 30.4 0.10 2015-02-17 0.65 3–9 29.3 0.30 2015-03-10 2015 ET 0.57 10–32 26.7 0.32 2015-04-12 2015 GU 0.62 5–11 28.4 0.29 2015-04-14 0.40 4–11 28.9 0.86 2015-04-16 0.44 4–9 28.8 0.48 2015-04-21 0.72 8–19 27.4 0.15 2015-05-15 0.76 6–13 28.1 0.81 2015-07-24 0.89 6–18 27.9 1.48 2015-09-22 0.95 3–14 28.9 0.069 2015-10-14 0.56 3–9 29.5 0.29 2015-10-31 0.74 600 20.0 1.27 2015-11-05 0.29 5–13 28.3 0.73 2015-11-06 0.73 2–4 30.6 0.26 2015-11-15 0.77 4–9 29.0 0.090 2015-11-20 0.45 1–5 30.1 0.60 2015-11-22 0.85 3–11 29.0 1.02 2015-12-13 2015 YJ 0.38 5–18 28.2 0.19 2015-12-14 0.70 4–12 28.7 1.32 2015-12-21 0.64 5–17 28.0 1.45

Notes

See also List of asteroid close approaches to Earth List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2014 List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2016

References

External links PIA19647: Asteroid 1999 JD6 (Radar imaged July 25, 2015)