Key Facts

Overview

17371 (1981 DT) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1981 DT as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1981 DT orbits the sun every 1,990 days (5.45 years), coming as close as 2.93 AU and reaching as far as 3.27 AU from the sun. 1981 DT is about 10.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of 1981 DT has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.14 hours.

No Close Approaches

1981 DT's orbit is 1.94 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

1981 DT's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 9, 1981. It was last officially observed on Feb. 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,650 observations used to determine its orbit.

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 1981 DT:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.1 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0545
  • Inclination: 14.82°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 328.59°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 196.45°
  • Mean Anomaly: 297.16°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 10.10000 km
  • Magnitude: 13.43
  • Albedo: 0.052

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,990 days (5.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.14 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 17371 (1981 DT) 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.