14938 (1995 DN)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

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Key Facts

Overview

14938 (1995 DN) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1995 DN as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1995 DN orbits the sun every 1,700 days (4.65 years), coming as close as 2.41 AU and reaching as far as 3.17 AU from the sun. 1995 DN is about 7.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1995 DN has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.82 hours.

No Close Approaches

1995 DN's orbit is 1.41 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1995 DN's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 12, 1978. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,626 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid 14938 (1995 DN) in 3D.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 1995 DN:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.79 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1362
  • Inclination: 9.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 165.64°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 116.12°
  • Mean Anomaly: 300.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.36200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.65
  • Albedo: 0.392

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,700 days (4.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.41 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.82 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 14938 (1995 DN) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.